What are the Characteristics of Photography Art Galleries & Exhibitions Sell?

This discussion is limited to the nature of the work efforts and success of living photographers whose work sells in Exhibitions, Art Galleries and perhaps are collected by followers............ and even found in the art resale market at auctions and on consignment.

We follow the discussion here, but in a narrower scope of attention. To achieve the latter, here are the necessary assumptions, understandings and "rules of engagement":

1. Today, rightly or wrongly, the term "photograph" has come to include images made by cameras with sensors that don't necessarily output directly to the medium on the substrate of the sensor as in analog true photography of old. Only with analog media, such as film, do electrons ejected by incoming light react with the light-sensitive substrate to directly generate the minute marks in proportion to the incoming incident light at that exact spot. With that said, this discussion nevertheless applies to all pictures that art galleries, collectors and museums happen to call "photographs" in these modern times, even when they are actually just prints!

2. Do not consider the terms "Fine Art" as this is not used by dealers or curators for art that sells way above simple multiples of the picture's production cost.

3. If you have zero interest in getting work to galleries or exhibitions were substantial sales of pictures are made, no need to express dismissal of this idea, as we all are well aware that it's no trivial task to either produce, let alone successfully market even one's best pictures. Thanks in advance for your forbearance in sitting this one out!

4. Besides photography for mementos, family fun, documentation, journalism and other commercial outlets, one sought-after end result in photography, (for the purpose of Art ) is "Gallery Representation" where folk who want valuable art buy - hence sales for more than trivially covering costs. All discussion here must be relevant to achieving that limited purpose.

I do hope you will share your ideas and insights on what it takes to get one's work into the art market.

Asher

If we can focus on the market that is hard to get into, where pictures are valued as works of art like paintings by folk with money to match, then it can serve us well.

I will point out that most art galleries have a voracious appetite for photographs that they can sell as if they were valuable paintings, but without the inherent need to finance an inventory of works that each single canvas represents months and months of a painters labor and so there's much more inherent built in cost of the work, before its value as a creative piece is considered. By contrast, most photography represents just days or weeks of the artist's time and so base costs for covering wall space can be considerably less. With this, there is a tendency and huge appetite for very large photographs to provide the gravitas of a classical painting in large modern homes. An example is the work of British photographer, Richard Learoyd, who with the aid of a room sized "camera obscura", makes amazingly powerful single originals on wall size Cibachrome he has secreted away from the last available stocks on the planet! Here his pictures sell routinely for $40,000 minimum to $65,000 and more! But these are indeed Fine Art, never ever appearing on any fair that sells what enthusiasts tend to call their own, "Fine Art". But his work is exceptional and has extraordinary presence, absent in the rush by galleries and photographers to provide very large prints to a far too willing and some would say, naive and gullible, buying public.

In spite of this eagerness for big and super-large prints, most photographers will not get past the receptionist at the front door of the gallery, as each gallery curator already has his or her stable of artists for which the gallery has already established a market in their precious followers!

However, one can still "get in". One might strike a like connection and be recommended by one of a gallery's successful photographers or else a new gallery might take a risk.

So, what are the common characteristics of photographs that can make it to art galleries and museums?

If one has no belief or hope of such success, there is no need to respond to this at all as such thoughts of disinterest, "pipe dreams" or delusions" have been expressed more than adequately.

I however, am still steadfast in my interest in a few of our photographs winning places in the eyes and minds of those who have budgets for "art" of all sorts that galleries sell. Any insights as to common characteristics of works by living photographers that are sold by galleries would be appreciated.

Asher

I will put down what I know so far and as as I discove more commonalities.

1. Photographs in a gallery tend to be those celebrated by someone with respect in the community of Photography Gallery Magazines and curators. This implies one needs to get access and to be introduced. Some dealers are in fact "market makers", even at times manipulating prices so that the series is considered valuable to collect.

2. Pictures are generally part of a consistent and recognizable body of work, often of high technical quality, (although this may be absent with more than a few lauded photographers), but certainly possessing common thread of esthetic presence and character. It is most unusual to find adjacent photographs of a living photographer of discordant style, unless it is part of a major retrospective. Ken has described elsewhere how he picks his "sets" of pictures for his portfolios - about 10-12 pictures and ranks them in order of quality, impact and preference, continually adding to this set and removing those, nevertheless wonderful prints, (yes, actual prints), that don't earn a coveted spaces. After all, ultimately one is asking a gallery to place one's own work in place of other well-considered art and wall space is very, very expensive!

3. The work is not available anywhere for a lower price!

4. Reviews of the pictures have appeared in magazines and articles followed by art lovers, collectors and galleries.

5. There's a resale market! This is a very hard act to accomplish but , nevertheless, achievable as one gets known and valued and the word spreads.

We can add more according to your additional insights. Please ahare your ideas from what you have discovered from talking to gallerists and art buyers!

Asher

I think I already answered in the following posts:

On the art market (1)
and
On the art market (2)

Jerome,

Thanks for reminding me of your significant and insightful concepts involving social status and bragging rights between the artist's "followers with $$ and the various categories of dealers giving social access to this recognizable real-world, otherwise-might-be-starving-artist-posing-as-an-artist!

This is a rich hypothesis that seems to fit much of the facts, but as I thought on the first time around, I need to think more about this and examine it further.

Nothing you have put forward seems to negate what I have put forward above.

Asher