Vanity Galleries: a modern trap for artists

Published by Via S. Hellenick on

I am an art historian and museologist, and a few months ago I got the opportunity to apply for an internship at a gallery as a curator.

Despite not being 100% sure about this career path, I applied and even did an interview.

In the midst of the selection process, though, I had a few bells ringing in my mind, so I did a little bit more of extensive research about this specific gallery.

Well, the reviews and the responses of the curators to them, the artists they were representing, and the conditions set to exhibit a work in said gallery, made me realise that I was dealing with a vanity gallery, the last kind of gallery you want to work with under any role.

Usually, gallerists choose an artist they like that fits their preferred style, and take the responsibility to promote said artist and sell their work, taking a commission from the sale.

Art galleries care about their artists, and try to create a trustworthy environment, so that the artists will keep coming back to them, which means that gallerists get that commission.

Picture from Pexels.com

It’s not that different from traditional publishing: you have someone who is willing to invest in you and do the work to make sure you sell, and they earn something for it too.

Just like there are vanity galleries, there are also vanity publishers.

But what are they exactly?

Vanity galleries and vanity publishers are simply galleries and publishers who ask artists to pay to exhibit their work, and writers to pay to publish their book.

They don’t make money from selling their work, they make money from the artists and writers.

Hence, the “vanity” element: you get to say you have your work exhibited in a gallery, or your book published, but in the end, it actually turns to nothing valuable.

Nobody knows about your work, you paid your own money but no one is helping you sell, and at the eyes of critics, it also diminishes the value of your work.

Bear in mind, vanity publishers are a different matter from self-publishing, which, if done right, can result in incredible books of the highest quality.

Long story short, artists and writers, if someone asks you to pay, run!