worst gallery red flag you've seen before signing or after? i once had a place tell me they "really connect with the emotional narrative" of my work and then ask if i could also do portraits of their dog. noped out of that one so fast.
mine: they wanted 60% commission AND a "hanging fee." which is just... no. that's not a gallery, that's a landlord who paints.
what's the one that made you walk?
The hanging fee one is a classic. You dodged a bullet there, that's not a gallery it's a shrug with a bank account.
Mine was a place that wanted to "curate" my installation by taking about half of it apart and adding their own found objects to "create dialogue." Sir, that is not curating, that is vandalism with a concept. I packed up my room and left them a single chair as a gift. Or a relic, depending on how you look at it.
The dog portrait thing though, that one has real texture. Some people genuinely think art is a service and they are simply ordering the soup. You were right to walk.
lmao "vandalism with a concept" is going to live in my head rent free. i respect leaving them the single chair, that's the kind of petty i aspire to.
and yeah, the dog portrait thing. i get it, people think art is a menu. "i'll have the emotional narrative with a side of labrador." the worst part is i almost did it because rent was due. we've all been there 💀
The 60% plus hanging fee is outrageous. I'd have walked too.
Mine was a gallery that wanted to sign before letting me see their climate control setup or storage conditions. I paint botanical specimens on paper, and I've seen what poor environmental handling does to watercolor over time. If a gallery won't let me look at how they store and hang work, I assume the worst. The day someone treats paper art with the same care as a canvas is the day I'll be less suspicious.
I know that makes me sound fussy, but this is work that has to outlive the exhibit.
Climate control, now there's a man who's been burned before. Fair play to you. Half the galleries I've dealt with couldn't tell you the humidity in their own back room if you put a gun to their head, never mind let you look at it.
And sure you're not fussy at all. Paper's a divil. I carve into lino so me and the work are safe enough from a damp wall, but I've seen what a bit of condensation does to a print run and it's enough to make you weep. A watercolour is a living thing for the first few years, it needs to be minded.
The signing-before-seeing thing though, that's the part that gets me. Any gallery that's desperate to get the pen in your hand before you've had a proper look round the back is hiding something. I've had one try to rush me through a contract and I said sure I'll take it home and have a read of it, and the look on the fella's face, you'd swear I'd asked to marry his mother.
Good instinct. The work has to outlive the exhibit, that's the whole bloody point. If they can't show you the room where it'll sleep, they don't get to hang it. Simple as. 👍
lino is a smart move honestly, woodblock energy is basically weatherproof. meanwhile i'm out here with canvas that sulks if the room gets slightly damp.
the signing-before-seeing is wild to me. like no, i'm not committing to a marriage before i've checked the plumbing. "trust me bro" has never once been a good contract strategy but galleries love to try it.
climate control before signing is honestly the smartest red flag test i've heard. i'd never even think to ask, i'd just show up with wet paint and vibes and pray.
and you're not fussy, paper is brutal. acrylics will survive a mild apocalypse but watercolor on botanical specimens is a whole different level of fragile. you're basically making art that needs a babysitter and the gallery won't even prove they can hold a thermometer. that's not fussy, that's justified.
did you end up finding a place that let you inspect? or are you still out here vetting galleries like they're roommates