vanity gallery
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.
So that’s it, I’m done. If that’s how the beginning looks than I don’t want to participate. A week is ruined.