Opening Your Own Gallery (Part II)

Photo courtesy Cheryl McGinnis Gallery

Cheryl McGinnis Gallery (Interior)

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Part I, we learned some valuable insight from a highly experienced gallery owner, Renato Danese, about what makes for a successful art dealer.

In Part II, we speak with some New York dealers who have all established galleries relatively recently to see what we may be able to glean from their experiences: Mindy E. Moak of MME Fine Art; Cheryl McGinnis of Cheryl McGinnis Fine Art; and Lesley Heller of the Lesley Heller Gallery.

They are all young women with a huge enthusiasm for what they are doing and a lot of experience in the art business. I visited each of them in their galleries, and though all three have different interests and business methods, what really struck me was how they all emphasized many of the same points, which amount to a basic rulebook, a Top 10 Hints, for the successful art dealer:

1) If your motivation is purely financial, forget it.

This is no get-rich-quick business. As Heller put it, There are so many better ways to make money. You either have to have a lot of savings, be personally wealthy or have backers because its very expensive.

Indeed, the start-up costs are significant, which, for many gallerists, means outside funding is essential to get going. For example, Moak and her partner, Elizabeth M. Stallman, happily acknowledge the role of their third partner, Hugh L. McColl Jr., the ex-chairman of the Bank of America Corp., who provided the needed capital to make MME possible, Moak says.

2) Those without prior experience need not apply.

All three women worked in other peoples galleries and/or operated as private consultants before they decided to open their own gallery.

Cheryl McGinnis put it like this: I remember Paula Cooper telling me that until you have too many artists and too many collectors as a private dealer, do not open a space. I took that advice very seriously.

3) You have to be passionate about it. The merely interested wont cut it.

If theres a single, basic requirement, this is it.

Moak: The most important thing is the real passion for what it is youre planning to embark on, because it is an emotional roller-coaster ride

Heller: You have to love art in some way or another to do it. I went into it because I like talking to artists and being with artists, and I like helping artists further their careers.

4) You have to have a precise focus.

There are hundreds of galleries in New York, dealing in dozens of different genres. You need to be certain of your area of specialization and stick to it.

Mindy E. Moak: One of the most important [requirements] is to define the vision for the business as distinctly and succinctly as possible. From there, the rest generally falls in to place.

Cheryl McGinnis: I spent years finding the artists who I was interested in and figuring out what my eye was about and what my point of view was and how that all came together.

5) In New York City, you have to be equally certain of where you should set up shop.

Chelsea is, unquestionably, the epicenter of the contemporary art market, but the areas rents reflect that. And in such a crowded field, it can be difficult for a newcomer to get noticed.

Heller and McGinnis, for example, both deliberately chose to be off the beaten track at Madison and 92nd Street.

Heller: You have to decide which area of town you want to be in, and for me it had a lot to do with rent, as well as where I thought I could stand out. I didnt want to be just another gallery in Chelsea.

6) You need a lot of experience in business.

Its a business, like any other. No room for amateurs. Without a proper, viable business plan, youre wasting your time.

7) Just as important, you need a lot of experience with, and knowledge of, art.

Another non-negotiable requirement: Good gallerists have an in-depth background in art history, and almost all successful dealers received extensive training working in others galleries.

8) You have to have the ability to make both artists and collectors comfortable with you.

Everybody talked a lot about how important interpersonal skills are: Both artists and collectors tend to be pretty demanding characters, and you have to be able to bridge the gap between them. More than that, you have to want to.

McGinnis (who ran a private salon from her own home for many years): I wanted to make contemporary art accessible. The fact of the matter is most people dont know that much about art, and most people do not have a vast art history background. I decided that I was going to build a salon where artists were going to be there talking about their work, and I wanted it to be enriching. The salon was really a hybrid between education and a gallery.

Moak: Art is the ultimate luxury item, lets face it, so we want everybody to feel safe and secure when theyre spending a lot of money on a work of art.

Heller: Artists dont want to show with someone they dont feel a connection to. You have to understand the work. You also have to understand collectors.

9) Then, if there is a secret ingredient, here it is: You have to have a good eye.

Certainly you have to be able to recognize quality in a work of art in its own termspictorial, sculptural, etc.but you also have to be able to comprehend it as a means of communication. You have to be able to appreciate how it sits within a cultural context, and how it relates to other art and other cultural objects and events. And then, as a dealer, you have to be able to comprehend art as a commodity: Will it sell? Its quite a balancing act.

10) In conclusion, you need a wide range of skills, you need to work hard, and you cant imagine for a moment that this going to be easy.

Lesley Heller: You cant just like art. You have to be self motivated and very organized; there are so many different things to do all at the same time. Its difficult, its really difficult.

Images (top to bottom): courtesy MME Fine Art (1,2); Cheryl McGinnis Gallery (2,3); Lesley Heller Gallery (4,5,6)