In recent art news, the gap between small galleries and large galleries is widening at a steady pace as a number of small to midsize art galleries have closed their doors since 2012 to present and the numbers are remarkable. Small to midsize galleries have “long struggled to compete in a field increasingly dominated by mega-galleries with multiple locations, like Gagosian, David Zwirner and Hauser & Wirth.” This recent trend towards an “intensely commercial and competitive art market has resulted in a critical mass of galleries folding, moving or merging.”
According to Editor-In-Chief Sarah Douglas of Artnews, “[i]n the three years between July 2012 and June 2015, there were only a handful of notable closures—around six. By contrast, the two years between July 2015 and June 2017 saw 25—and 18 of those happened in the past year alone.” A rundown of some of the significant closures, from 2012 to the present, include as follows:
May–June 2017
Envoy, New York
On Stellar Rays, New York
Acme, Los Angeles
CRG Gallery, New York
January–April 2017
Ibid, London
Vilma Gold, London
Sandra Gering Inc., New York
Limoncello, London
Andrea Rosen, New York
Feuer/Mesler, New York
Susanne Hillberry Gallery, Detroit
Murray Guy, New York
September–December 2016
Mike Weiss Gallery, New York
Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles
Young Art, Los Angeles
Kansas, New York
June–August 2016
Lisa Cooley, New York
Robert Miller Gallery, New York
Tracy Williams, Ltd., New York
Rosamund Felsen Gallery, New York
January-May 2016
Clifton Benevento, New York
Thomas Duncan Gallery, Los Angeles
Laurel Gitlen, New York
2015
Mixed Greens, New York
Joe Sheftel, New York
Wallspace, New York
McKee Gallery, New York
2012–14
Churner & Churner, New York
Harris Lieberman, New York
Nicole Klagsbrun, New York
Donald Young Gallery, Chicago
Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles
Some of the reasons behind this widening of the divide between small and large galleries are high-priced real estate in gallery neighborhoods, such as Chelsea, and the rapid expansion of expensive art fairs, where art collectors now tend to do most of their browsing and buying of art. Instead of visiting smaller galleries, collectors are setting their sights on market-tested “trophy works” offered by the major dealers. Collectors are also buying art through social media (e.g., Instagram) or other online images without even viewing the work in person. Collectors appear to be less willing to bet on the emerging artists represented by the small to midsize galleries.
For many small to midsize gallery owners, running an art gallery is simply not a sustainable business in the current market hence the steady stream of closures highlighted above.
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