CHAPTER 7

Art Galleries And Art Dealers

There are thousands of art galleries in America alone

and when you first walk into one you may feel some

reservations or nervousness. This is because an art gallery's

environment is usually very uncommon from what we are

used to experiencing. Even seasoned art lovers are never

really sure of what they're going to find, as each gallery

winds up being very different. Because art is subjective, the

gallery becomes a reflection of the owner's taste and soul.

I found there are basically two types of galleries. One

is where, after seven minutes of getting through the door

you're pounced upon by the art salesperson. After a polite

introduction and memorization of your name the sales

person then proceeds to tell you everything and anything

about the art, the artist and the publisher you may or may

not want to know.

The second art gallery is a more contemporary art

gallery. You can tell you've arrived because you will be

standing inside a big white cube. The paintings are spaced

out on the walls and there is an attendant sitting behind the

desk flipping through magazines.  They will continue doing

so as you walk around the gallery puzzled by bright red

squares painted on canvas selling for 50, 60 or 100

thousand dollars.  If you make an inquiry as to the

value versus what's actually painted, the attendant will

put down their magazine and quickly inform you, "This art

really has more to do with the name of the artist than the

art itself." And if you want red squares by an artist who this

gallery owner considers worth noticing, then by all means

spend your 50 or 100 thousand dollars and enjoy!