The role of public galleries, commercial galleries and

other art spaces.

Public Art Galleries

Public art galleries:

Galleries, cultural institutions funded, owned and established by the government.

The aim of a public gallery is to educate and/or inform the general public along with schools and universities, and to collect and promote art.

Public galleries are not operated to generate a profit and are therefore devoted to collecting, conserving and presenting to the public an array of Australian and international artworks.

These may include various art forms such as sculpture, painting, ceramics and new media. In order to be exhibited in a public art gallery an artist needs to be very well established with an excellent reputation in the art world and the public domain.

For example: National Gallery of Victoria, InternationalIan Potter Centre, Fed SqHeide Gallery of Modern ArtAustralian Centre of Contemporary Art (ACCA)Gertrude Contemporary Art SpaceCentre for Contemporary Photography (CCP)

Heide Gallery of Modern Artwww.heide.com.au

Ian Potter Centre, Fed SquareNational Gallery of Victoria, Internationalwww.ngv.vic.gov.au

Australian Centre of Contemporary Art (ACCA)www.accaonline.org.au

Gertrude Contemporary Art Spacewww.gertrude.org.au

Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP)www.ccp.org.au

Funding

Public art galleries are funded, owned and established by the government. They do not rely on the sale of artworks as they receive funding from state, federal and/or local government bodies as well as corporate and private sponsors. Public art galleries may also receive bequests and donations from individuals, couples, groups, businesses, philanthropists and other collectors. To receive tax deductions, artists may select works to donate to public gallery collections.

Marketing and promotion

Public art galleries use funding from large company sponsorship to promote exhibitions along with money from an allocated budget. The galleries also rely on monies raised through ‘friends’ of the gallery, whose purpose is to support the gallery through fundraising, social events and activities.

Marketing and promotional avenues include:

•Print media – newspapers (eg the Age), specialist magazines and journals (eg Art Australia, Art Almanac) and billboards.

•Electronic media – gallery websites, television and radio

•Direct marketing

A database is also used when establishing mailing lists to forward pamphlets and invitations to openings.

Education

Public galleries run education programs for schools, universities and the public. They offer professional development programs for primary school, secondary school and university educators along with offering guided tours of exhibitions to the public. Most public galleries employ a full-time or part-time educational officer.

Conservation and preservation of artworks

The preservation and conservation of artworks is a high priority for public art galleries as they house valuable artworks that are either on loan from another gallery or form part of a gallery’s permanent collection. A permanent collection contributes to the cultural wealth of the state and country and the collection may develop an international reputation.

The Rokeby Venus is one of the finest nudes ever created. This painting held at the National Gallery in London, is a life-sized painting of a nude woman of the Baroque period.

Mary Richardson, who said she didn't like the way men looked at the Venus, took an axe to the painting, as described in The Times of Wednesday, March 11, 1914:

"The famous Rokeby Velasquez, commonly known as the "Venus with the Mirror," which was presented to the National Gallery in 1906, was mutilated yesterday morning by the prominent militant woman suffragist Mary Richardson. She attacked the picture with a small chopper with a long narrow blade, similar to the instruments used by butchers, and in a few seconds inflicted upon it severe if not irreparable damage. In consequence of the outrage the National Gallery will remain closed to the public until further notice."

The painting was carefully restored, but the slash marks are still faintly visible.

The Night Watch was first hung in the regimental HQ of the militia company it depicts. In 1715 it was moved to the Amsterdam town hall, where it did not fit on the designated wall, so it was cut down on all four sides.

Luckily, the Rijksmuseum holds a smaller reproduction of the original work, so at least we know what it used to look like.

On the eve of the German invasion in WW2 the great painting was removed from its frame and rolled into a cylinder. It was then buried in sand dunes but later hidden, with the bulk of the Rijksmuseum’s treasures, in a mine.

It survived the rigours of war with no damage, only to be attacked in 1975 by an unemployed school teacher, who fought off a museum guard and told bystanders that he "did it for the Lord." The painting suffered a large zig zag of slashes. It was successfully restored but some evidence of the damage is still observable close-up.

In 1990, a man sprayed acid onto the painting with a concealed pump bottle. Security guards intervened and water was quickly sprayed onto the canvas. Luckily, the acid had only penetrated the varnish layer of the painting and the painting was fully restored.

RembrandtThe Night Watch, 1642Oil on canvas363 x 437 cmRijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Leonardo da VinciMona Lisa, 1503-1519Oil on poplar77x 53cmMusee du Louvre, Paris

The Mona Lisa was stolen on August 22, 1911 and wasn’t recovered until 2 years later by an employee Vincenzo Peruggia of the Musee du Lourve who had entered the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed. Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed Leonard’s painting should be returned to Italy for display in an Italian museum. He may have also been motivated by a friend who sold copies of the painting, which would skyrocket in value after the theft of the original.

After having kept the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was finally caught when he attempted to sell it to the directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence; it was exhibited all over Italy and returned to the Louvre in 1913. Peruggia was hailed for his patriotism in Italy and only served six months in jail for the crime.

During World War II, the painting was removed from the Louvre and taken safely, to a number of galleries, then finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban, southern France. In 1956, the lower part of the painting was severely damaged when a vandal doused the painting with acid. On December 30 of that same year, a young Bolivian named Ugo Ungaza Villegas damaged the painting by throwing a rock at it. This resulted in the loss of a speck of pigment near the left elbow, which was later painted over.

The use of bulletproof glass has shielded the Mona Lisa from more recent attacks. In April 1974, a handicapped woman, upset by the museum's policy for the disabled, sprayed red paint at the painting while it was on display at the Tokyo National Museum.

On August 2, 2009, a Russian woman, distraught over being denied French citizenship, threw a terracotta mug or teacup, purchased at the museum, at the painting in the Louvre; the vessel shattered against the glass enclosure. In both cases, the painting was undamaged.

Public art galleries

The aim of public art galleries is to educate the public and promote art.

Non-profit based. Public art galleries are funded, owned and established by the government.

They do not rely on the sale of artworks to finance the gallery as they receive funding from state, federal and/or local governments and corporate and private sponsors.

They are devoted to collecting, conserving and presenting to the public an array of Australian and international works of art.

Commercial Art Galleries

Commercial art galleries

AimThe aim of a commercial art gallery is to make money through selling and/or lending contemporary and historical artworks to art collectors and/or the public.

Commercial art galleries operate as businesses to make a profit for the owners of the business.

For example:

Anna Schwartz GallerySutton GalleryDarren Knight Gallery

Catherine BellGordon BennettKate BeynonVivienne BinnsStephen BushEugene CarchesioJon CattapanJohn CitizenBrett ColquhounAleks Danko

Anne FerranElizabeth GowerHelga GrovesSara HughesRuth HutchinsonRaafat IshakHelen JohnsonDavid JollyLindy LeeNick ManganJohn MeadeDeborah PaauweRosslynd PiggottPeter RobinsonDavid RosetzkyNick SelenitschJackson SlatterySimon TerrillJane Trengove

Sutton Gallerywww.suttongallery.com.au

LAURENCE ABERHARTJOANNA BRAITHWAITEJON CAMPBELLBEN CAUCHI ETSUKO FUKAYA JASON GREIG MICHAEL HARRISONPATRICK HARTIGANDON HERONMARK HILTON

ANTHONY HOPKINSANDREW HURLEDANIUS KESMINAS HORST KIECHLESASKIA LEEKEUAN MACDONALDROB MCHAFFIE NOEL MCKENNAJENNIFER MILLSJAMES MORRISONMICHELLE NIKOUKENZEE PATTERSONPUNKASILAROBERT ROONEYSLAVE PIANOSCHARLIE SOFO MICHAEL STEVENSONRICKY SWALLOWTHE HISTRIONICSRONNIE VAN HOUTANNE WALLACELOUISE WEAVER

Darren Knight Gallerywww.darrenknightgallery.com

Anna Schwartz Gallerywww.annaschwartzgallery.com

AES&FLIDA ABDULPETER BOOTHCHRISTINE BORLANDSTEPHEN BRAMPHILIP BROPHYLOUISA BUFARDECIJANET BURCHILLBURCHILL/MCCAMLEYIAN BURNSMUTLU ÇERKEZSUSAN COHNSHANE COTTONPETER CRIPPSDANIEL CROOKSANGELA DE LA CRUZMIKALA DWYEREMILY FLOYDDALE FRANK

MARCO FUSINATOSHAUN GLADWELLANTONY GORMLEYROBERT HUNTERLYNDAL JONESROBERT KLIPPELJOSEPH KOSUTHSHELLEY LASICAAKIO MAKIGAWAGABRIELLA MANGANO & SILVANA MANGANOCLEMENT MEADMORECALLUM MORTONJAN NELSONTOM NICHOLSONJOHN NIXONROSE NOLANMIKE PARRSTIEG PERSSONKERRIE POLINESSSTUART RINGHOLTVIVIENNE SHARK LeWITTYINKA SHONIBARE, MBEKATHY TEMINPETER TYNDALLBRENDAN VAN HEKDANIEL VON STURMERJENNY WATSONJOHN YOUNG

Callum MortonHotel, 2008installation, EastLink commission

Emily Floyd Signature Work, 2004 an anthropomorphic toy rabbit Docklands Park, Melbourne

Emily FloydPublic Art Strategy, 2008fabricated steelinstallation, EastLink commission

Funding

Funds are generated from commissions charged by the gallery on the sales of artworks. The commissions may range from fifteen to thirty per cent of the sale price, depending on the particular gallery. Funds are also generated by hiring out the gallery space and charging general exhibiting fees as commercial galleries require the artist to contribute to costs involved in an exhibition such as advertising, printing invitations and catering costs for the opening.

Marketing and promotion

Commercial art galleries have a database of collectors who buy work from them on a regular basis. This database is also used to create a mailing list. As with public galleries, commercial galleries also use print media and electronic outlets to market and promote exhibitions.

Through regular newsletters, the gallery’s website and advertising in specialist magazines such as Artlink and their website, the gallery is able to promote current exhibitions and acquisitions.

Commercial galleries promote and market the artist. If an artist wishes to exhibit their work in a commercial art gallery, the artist needs to submit to the gallery a CV outlining previous exhibitions, qualifications and experience in making and exhibiting art. If successful, the artist will be asked to come into the gallery for a meeting with the directors (the owners) to discuss marketing strategies for the artist’s work. To sustain a viable business, the commercial gallery owner relies primarily on income from the sales of artworks. By necessity, directors must be very selective in their choices regarding the stable of artists they represent, as their artworks need to sell for the gallery to make money and stay in business.

Education

Commercial galleries generally do not offer any education programs. The services that they offer include advice concerning framing and organisation of transport once a purchase has been made. Some commercial galleries may educate their clients about art and art collection to enhance their business. They may also opt to provide students with access to their exhibitions for educational purposes. Educational visits should always be pre-arranged for courtesy, security and occupational health and safety reasons.

Conservation and preservation

Commercial galleries are generally responsible for more short-term aspects of conservation while the artwork is being exhibited and stored in the stockroom.

Commercial art galleries

The aim of commercial art galleries is to sell and, at times, lend or lease contemporary and historical artworks to art collectors and the public.

Profit based. Commercial art galleries operate as businesses to make a profit for the owners of the business. Money is generated from the commissions charged on sales of artworks and the exhibition hire fees charged by the gallery.

Commercial art galleries promote and market a number of artists and offer ongoing support and promotion for artists whose artworks sell and make money for the gallery.

Types of galleries

Aims Examples Funding Marketing and promotion

Education Conservation and preservation

Public art galleries

Commercial art galleries

Alternative art spaces