The social world of galleries : contemporary art, the market and internationalization / Alain Quemin ; translated by Keara Engelhardt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Quemin, Alain, author.

Series:

Contextualizing Art Markets.

Contextualizing Art Markets

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art and globalization.

Art galleries, Commercial.

Art, Modern--21st century.

Art, Modern.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (473 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), 2024.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2024.

System Details:

text file HTML

Summary:

This book presents the first detailed study of the place of contemporary art galleries and gallerists, especially within the art markets of Europe and the United States. Based on the author's field research carried out for over a decade, and combining ethnographic material with quantitative data, the book reveals the major role galleries play in the creation of art value. Despite being pillars of the art market, there has been very little in-depth research on galleries, especially when compared with the analysis of artists, critics, and dealers. Written by a sociologist who has spent a decade as an art critic, the book builds on work conducted by art historian and sociologist Raymonde Moulin from the 1960s to the 1990s. Drawing on ethnographic observations and interviews with those working in the field today, it provides a thorough and up-to-date analysis of what contemporary art galleries really are: the spaces they occupy both physically and online; their position within gallery 'districts'; their relation to art fairs and biennials; and how friendship with clients is built and trends within the business, in turn illuminating the hierarchized structure of the sector. The book concludes by addressing a significant gap in data on the art market by providing a sociological ranking of international contemporary art galleries. Offering a detailed analysis to a topic that has never been fully studied, The Social World of Galleries is essential reading for scholars and students of art sociology, art history and art business, as well as gallerists, collectors or art lovers, and artists themselves.

Contents:

Cover

Halftitle page

Contextualizing Art Markets

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgements

Series editor preface

Introduction

Foreword 1: A few methodological notes-researching the art market and its social world

Foreword 2: The invention of the gallerist profession and its development up to the contemporary period

Paul Durand-Ruel: inventor of the figure of gallerist in nineteenth-century France

Paul Durand-Ruel's followers: Ambroise Vollard and Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, and the impact of the great French gallerists up to the 1960s

The revolutionary Leo Castelli: the triumph of the American gallerist

PART ONE A spatial approach to contemporary art galleries

1 The gallery as a physical space

How can we address the "crisis of a gallery's physical space"?

Conclusion

2 The gallery in the urban space: Geography and neighborhoods

The Paris contemporary art gallery scene: The central position of the Marais

New York and the triumph of the West Chelsea neighborhood

London: a similar scene to Paris in terms of the impact of contemporary art galleries

Berlin: a gallery scene that is relatively behind compared to other major international cities

A few notes on the spatial concentration of galleries in cities outside of the West or in the Southern Hemisphere

3 Galleries and international art fairs: The success of a relatively deterritorialized system

A method of organizing fairs that is sometimes overlooked

Galleries are more invested in fairs than ever, but with less enthusiasm

An explosion and internationalization of fairs, which remain geographically entrenched

Art Basel: a long-triumphant model of geographical expansion with some recent ups and downs

PART TWO The occupation of gallerist.

4 Sales: A fundamental undertaking

Running a gallery: to do what, and under what conditions?

Individual sellers: interpersonal skills and long-term relationships

Controlling sales and clients

Retail price: a determining factor

Price modulation: the practice of "discounts"

Reaching clients, then selling to them

5 Sociability and friendship: Resources for the gallerist occupation

Relationships with collectors: taking advantage of their motivations

Sociability, cocktail receptions, and dinners: supposed gifts as a breeding ground for the sales relationship

Friendship: a professional resource

6 Beyond sales: The other activities of contemporary art galleries

Managing the development of the gallery and its image

The origin of capital and the discreet role of backers

Crucial partners for galleries: the artists

The promotional work performed by a gallery

Conclusion:

7 Recent trends: Evolution in the gallery sphere and in the gallerist occupation

Increased competition, gallery concentration/expansion, threats to second-tier galleries: amarket that is increasingly controlled by"mega-galleries"

Gallery closures, mergers, and associations: a reconfiguration of the field

Art advisors who are increasingly present

Relationships with one's artists: the effects of growing competition

Museums: increased influence for galleries and a new level of competition with institutions

The economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and how contemporary art galleries have adapted to the new market context

PART THREE Analyzing the hierarchy among galleries

8 Understanding the gallery hierarchy: How to construct a ranked list of the main contemporary art galleries in the world

Prior classifications of galleries or gallerists.

Constructing a ranked list of galleries: a sociological perspective

The false approach to classification based on gallery revenue

The principles adopted for constructing the ranked list of the best galleries that I have developed

9 The international ranked list of the "best" contemporary art galleries

The top 10 galleries in the world

1. The Thaddaeus Ropac gallery

A dead heat between the four galleries vying for the ranking's second position: Sprüth Magers, David Zwirner, White Cube, and Hauser &amp

Wirth

The Sprüth Magers gallery

The David Zwirner gallery

The White Cube gallery

The Hauser &amp

Wirth gallery

The Gagosian gallery

Neck-and-neck for 7th place: the Konrad Fischer, Skarstedt, and Marian Goodman galleries:

The Konrad Fischer gallery

The Skarstedt gallery

The Marian Goodman gallery:

The Lisson gallery, in 10th place

A unique case: The Chantal Crousel gallery

What can we conclude from the top 10 galleries in the classification?

Beyond the top 10 galleries: the general conclusions of this ranked list

Two cases characterized by the preponderance of a gallery's financial resources over the recognition of their artists: the Perrotin and Pace galleries

A geographical and geopolitical interpretation of gallery participation in Art Basel and their positions in the classification

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781350370951

1350370959

9781350370937

1350370932

9781350370944

1350370940

OCLC:

1458756926