To introduce her/his work and to make a living thanks to her/his art, the artist must exhibit. The exhibition enable her/him to sell, to meet collectors but also to make new and essential contacts with art professionals : painting merchants, curators, art agents, cultural intermediaries, commissioners, specialists...
The exhibition enables the artist to develop privileged relationships with partners that she/he would have selected such as :
– The press : critics, art historians, directors of cultural columns
– Art professionals : painting merchant, art brokers, art agents, cultural intermediaries, art consultants, curators, specialists, commissioners,
– Collectors,
– the general public.
The press, art professionnals, collectors, the general public are the four essential components to the success of a personal exhibition.
It is crucial to know who do what, in which sector. The task is considerable, you should divide your time to get to know :
Art partners :
Galleries
Active museums concerning modern art
Modern art centers
Intermediary places
Alternative spaces
New cultural places
Art libraries and lending galleries
Salons
International trade fairs
French Plastic Arts Delegation - DAP
French Regional Director of Cultural Affairs - DRAC
Cultural affairs at regional, departmental, rural level
Active associations concerning plastic arts
Art agents
Art brokers
Cultural intermediaries
Cultural consultants
Critics and art historians
Collectors
Commissioners
Specialists
Art editors
Fine art press
Online art resources
Specialised websites
Professional directories and all modern art resources.
By familiarizing herself/himself with these persons or organisations, the artist will develop her/his business. Information and documention notions take all their dimentions in this case.
Preparation of the exhibition.
Clearly, we do not organize a gallery exhibition and an evening presentation in a private place the same way. A precised goal and appropriate investments have to be set for every exhibition.
In some cases, the promotion of your exhibition won’t be necessary, such as an exhibition at a firm reception where a few artworks will be displayed. In this case, you will count on the traffic, that is why efforts will be useless in comparison to a complete exhibition in a private place where you will need to work on the guest list.
For this last example, the promotion of the event to the press won’t be necessary as it is impossible to get media attention for a very short event.
Organize your time.
The preparations for your exhibitions are multiple and you will have to deal with a rushed diary. Prepare your exhibition way before it will really take place ! You need to be rigorous with the time you will take for every determining task. Watch here to see how is organised a collective and travelling exhibition.
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