#vanity gallery

There are many open calls out there and they can be great, and more often than not you have to pay to take part. Sometimes there is a genuine reason for this, but be careful it’s not a vanity project. An art gallery charges artists fees to exhibit their work. A publisher or magazine has the artists pay to have their work published. A prize is awarded to you only if you bought your place on the…

If your are an artist trying to get noticed by the right people, never pay to exhibit your art or be featured in a publication. This will actually hurt your reputation in the art world, not help it. Entry fees are different - they often cover the administrative costs of selecting artwork. The key word there is selecting. Even if the person reaching out to you says they found you based on the quality of your work - this is often untrue. They probably paid for your contact information and haven’t even looked at your portfolio.

Galleries that ask you to pay to exhibit do not care if your work sells, they have already made their money. In fact many will mention that they will not take a commission. At first glance, that sounds like a great deal, in reality - it means they are betting that your work won’t sell.

Beyond the loss of cash and the waste of time, the reputation of these vanity galleries are such they that the inclusion on your CV may turn serious galleries and collectors away. The same can be said for books like “International Contemporary Artists Vol XII” that will seem to be selecting work based on applications, but the truth is, you agree to pay - you're in. This concept devalues your work. In some cases they may go as far as saying there is no fee, but when you read the fine print, you are required to buy book(s) at a hefty price tag.

You are not alone if you have fallen into one of these traps, the important part is to learn from it and to erase the trail from your CV and website. Knowledge is power so sharing this article will help other artists avoid these situations. A good place to consult for authentic calls to art is the CLW white list.

Here is a growing list of known pay-to-exhibit or pay-to-be-published names to avoid. If you know of more instances, please comment below.

Websites:

100 Contemporary Artists

American Art Collector, Alcove Books

Art Addiction

Art & Beyond Publications

Art Biennial

Art-Competition

Art Connoisseurs

Art-Exchange.com

ArtExpo

ArtNetwork

Artoteque

Artist Portfolio Magazine

Artistsinfo.co.uk

Artworkinternational.com

ARTslant

Artspecifier

Artavita

Artery NYC

Art Unlimited

Best of Artists

Eiamagazine.com

The Genius of Art

Ilcuratore.it

Inspiration- International Art Book

International Prize Canaletto

International Contemporary Artists (ICA Publishing)

LarkGallery Online

Manu Sol Publications

Masters of Today

Modern Art Community

New York Art Group

The New Collectors Book

See.me

Show Artists

Shopvida.com

Studio 25N LLC

Working Artist Org.

World Art Vision

World Wide Art Books

New York:

A. Jain Marunouchi Gallery

Ashok Jain Gallery

Agora Gallery

Art Fairs International

Artifact

Amsterdam Whitney Gallery

Baboo Gallery

Beijing Arts Space

The Broadway Gallery NYC

Chelsea International Fine Art Competition

Contemporary Art Network

Creative Concept Inc

Ico Gallery

New Art Center

NY Arts Magazine

NY Art Marathon

Viridian Artists

World Art Media

California:

Art LA

The Artists' Alley

Galiara

Gallery Godo

Global Art Foundation

James Gray Gallery

Laguna Art

NorbertEllen Gallery

Townley Gallery

World Art Foundation

International:

3C Gallery

Amsterdam Showcase

Art

ArtworkX of Mann

Barcelona International Art Fair

Barcelona Showcase

Bienniale Internationals Dell'Arte Contemporanea

The Brick Lane Gallery

Brisbane Art Prize

Camden Art Gallery

Contemporary Art of Excellence

EAGL Gallery

First International Italian Biennale of Creativity

Florence Biennale

Gabriel Fine Art

Gallery Gora

Galerie 64 Atelier

Global Art Agency

Investable Artists

Iugte

La Galleria

Life Art Worldwide Art Expo Spectacular

Madgallerymilano.com

Marziart Internationale Galerie

New Art Awards

Oxford International Art Fair

Palm Art Award

Parallax Art Fair

Paris O15

Primo Piano LivinGallery

Printspace Gallery

Queen Gallery

Rotterdam International Art Fair

Temporary Gallery

Tokyo International Art Fair

Vienna Showcase

Just a little warning for fellow artists.

Few days ago I got an email from a gallery based in London. Inviting me to exhibit my works on a group show. Telling me that my works “were particularly strong, and of the right style that would suit their exhibition space”. I was SO SO SO EXCITED, as any not very successful artist would be, thinking all about the possibilities, all the great things that might be coming. I’ve read the email while painting so for another 2 hours I was just dancing around, splashing the paint on canvas in joy and running around like crazy. After those 2 happiest hours I decided to check out that gallery and bless the internet... Google is drowning in bad opinions about it. Turns out it is a vanity gallery, taking fees from artists for exhibiting their works and not taking commission on sale - meaning they don’t care at all if they sell anything. And in fact everyone who wrote a review, said they never sold any painting with them. I carefully wrote back to ask about all costs that I’d have to cover and it is just madness. The fee is as big as income for few months of regular job.

Looks like they regularly send lots of similarly sounding emails so if you ever get an email from some kind of London gallery who found your name on some kind of website, thinks your works are particularly strong and they want to invite you to any show where they want a fee and don’t take commission on sale, just erase the message.

Another variation on the #vanitygallery. #Buyerbeware when looking for #gallery #space for your #artwork.

My book discusses Vanity Galleries amongst other kinds of places you may be tempted to display your artwork. This article discusses another variation of the old theme that has popped up in Portland, Maine. As always with Vanity Galleries – Buyer Beware!

Peter Worsley

  New gallery draws competitors’ ire by charging artists for exposure BY BOB KEYES STAFF WRITER, Portland Press Herald, Monday…