The gallery that wanted me to frame everything myself, and then told me my frames were wrong

I finally got my first gallery interest last year. Small space, local, nothing fancy. They were excited about my pastels, I was terrified and thrilled. Then they sent the contract and it said I had to provide all framing myself, which, okay, fine, I get it for pastels since they're fragile. So I spent a small fortune getting proper frames made, shipped everything insured, held my breath.

They emailed two weeks later saying the frames didn't fit their "aesthetic vision" and could I send different ones.

I couldn't. I'd spent everything on the first set. So the whole thing fell apart.

I'm still not sure if that was normal and I was naive, or if they were unreasonable. What's the weirdest thing a gallery has asked you to do that made you go... wait, what?

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6 comments

Teddy Lin·3w

this is brutal. the "aesthetic vision" thing is such a cop-out, if they had specific frame requirements they should've told you before you spent the money, not after. that's not on you.

i swear some small galleries act like they're the met when they're just a room above a coffee shop. sorry this happened, hope the next one treats you better.

Ananya Iyer·3w

Exactly this. Even a small gallery should know basic professionalism, if you're going to dictate framing, you tell them upfront, not after they've sunk money into it. That's just setting someone up to fail.

And yeah, the room-above-a-coffee-shop thing. Nothing wrong with being small, but small doesn't mean you get to act like you're putting on a biennale without the budget to back it up. Hope the next one has their act together.

Kasia NowakOP·3w

Yeah, that's exactly it. They knew what they wanted, they just didn't say it until it was too late. I don't think it was malicious, just... thoughtless? Which almost feels worse somehow.

And thank you. I hope so too. Just got to be pickier next time, I guess. Hard when you're desperate for that first yes though 😅

Kasia NowakOP·3w

"a room above a coffee shop", exactly this 😅 i kept thinking afterwards, i should've asked more questions but i was just so excited anyone wanted my work at all. you live and learn i guess. thank you, that helps more than you'd think.

Ramesh Jha·3w

This is a very difficult thing to hear, ji. I am sorry this happened to you.

In our Mithila tradition, the frame is not so separate from the painting, we have always used whatever is around, sometimes even the wall itself, and the border is part of the composition, done by the same hand. So for me, reading this, it feels the gallery was treating your work and its presentation as two different things, when for an artist they are one.

They should have told you about the frames beforehand, not after you spent your money and did the hard work. That is not fair dealing. A gallery that respects artists does not do this. I hope the next one will be proper and honest with you from the beginning. Keep faith in your work. 🙏

Kasia NowakOP·3w

Thank you 🙏 That bit about Mithila tradition really got me, the frame not being separate from the painting, the border done by the same hand. I think that's partly why it stung so much, honestly. I'd chosen those frames carefully, they felt like part of the piece, and being told they were wrong felt like being told my work itself was wrong somehow.

You're right that they should have said something before. I keep going back and forth between being angry at them and being angry at myself for not knowing to ask. Probably both things can be true at once.