Types Of Galleries and legal implications of being an artist (2023)

An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers. In contemporary art, art dealers typically seek out various artists to represent and build a relationship between themselves, collectors, and museums whose interests are likely to match the represented artist's work. Dealers often travel internationally, frequent exhibitions, artists' studios and studios looking for good buys.

Galleries such as the Lisson Gallery are among the most influential and longest-running international contemporary art galleries in the world. Today, the gallery supports and promotes the work of more than 60 international artists across spaces in London, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Gagosian has long developed cultural programming and events with artists, including performances, exhibition tours, public talks, film screenings, and studio visits. The gallery has long been committed to working with and advising artists on all aspects of their legacy planning. In 2018 the gallery launched its Building a Legacy program, bringing together artists and their studio staff with experts in the field of artists’ estates, nonprofit foundations, and legacy stewardship through a series of symposia.

Barbara Gladstone is the founder of the Gladstone Gallery. It is a leading gallery dedicated to contemporary art founded by Barbara Gladstone. Based in New York and Brussels, it represents no fewer than 35 internationally renowned artists, such as Anish Kapoor, Shirin Neshat, and more emerging artists.

White Cube is a contemporary art gallery founded by Jay Jopling in London in 1993 and run by Jopling since. The gallery has two branches in London: White Cube Mason's Yard in central London and White Cube Bermondsey in South East London.

Commercial galleries organise exhibitions for artists that they represent. These galleries are often private businesses that make money by selling artists' work. The money they make from a sale is shared with the artist. Commercial galleries also organise exhibitions with publicly funded galleries and museums too.

Galleries such as the Transition Gallery in London, Transition is an independent gallery and publisher founded by artist Cathy Lomax in east London in October 2002. The gallery shows work by both emerging and established contemporary artists as well as producing publications and periodicals. In 2018 the gallery became Transition Two.

The Tarpey Gallery is an art gallery in Castle Donnington, East Midlands, featuring original contemporary artworks by leading artists in their respective disciples of printmaking, painting, sculpture and photography. The gallery is currently broken up into four main exhibition spaces. The gallery holds presently around six major exhibitions a year in three spaces, each lasting around six weeks. The ‘permanent’ gallery space features a rotating collection of work by represented artists.

Established in 1991, Cupola remains one of the most respected contemporary galleries for the sale and exhibition of fine art & fine craft in the north of England. Over 300 artists works are always on display across a full range of disciplines.

The ideal of universal galleries/museums came to prominence in the European Enlightenment and has recently come into new focus with the controversy provoked by the “Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums,” issued in 2002 by a series of prominent Western museums, to defend their institutions against rising repatriation demands.

Galleries such as the UH Arts + Culture (University of Hertfordshire Arts + Culture) bring a rich arts and culture programme to the campus and local communities. Sharing the best visual arts, live arts, music, film, design and media across our university sites, in Hatfield and St Albans, while collaborating with artists and performers, they commission and present ambitious and relevant work, informed by research.

Founded in 1969, Bonington Gallery has been at the forefront of Nottingham’s rich and vibrant visual arts community for over fifty years, offering an innovative and dynamic programme of local, national, and international significance. Situated at the heart of Nottingham Trent University’s (NTU) School of Art & Design, the Gallery is surrounded by students and staff making, critiquing, designing and researching across a wide range of creative disciplines. This ‘art school’ context is reflected throughout our multi-disciplinary programme of exhibitions and events – presenting and exploring practices related to visual art, fashion, film, music and design.

Lakeside Arts is the University of Nottingham’s public arts programme. Over 200,000 people of all ages and abilities engage annually with Lakeside’s cultural programme – enriching the lives of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire communities, including the University’s staff and students.

Kettle’s Yard is the University of Cambridge’s modern and contemporary art gallery. Kettle’s Yard is a beautiful House with a remarkable collection of modern art and a gallery that hosts modern and contemporary art exhibitions. In February 2018 Kettle’s Yard reopened after a major redevelopment project which included: A four-floor Education wing and new and improved exhibition galleries.

An Artists Open House is a special example of an Open Studio whereby the studio is a residential venue, usually a house or a garden. The format of an Open House is very similar to an Open Studio, but the significantly lower cost of exhibiting in a residential venue than a studio or gallery provides more artists with an opportunity to exhibit their work.

Sherwood Forest Arts and Craft Centre lie in the heart of ancient Sherwood Forest, in the beautifully converted coach house and stables of the former Edwinstowe Hall. The atrium and courtyard are home to a variety of artists and craftspeople selling a unique array of items including textiles, fossils and gemstones, paintings, copper artefacts, candles, and fabric crafts. 

Open Studios Nottinghamshire (OSN) promotes Nottinghamshire and Nottingham-based artists & makers through annual OPEN STUDIO events during May and June.

Legal implications

I am aware of the fact that an artist needs public liability insurance in order to put their art on exhibition, this covers the policyholder against any claims made by third parties (e.g. members of the public). A member of the public might make a claim if they are injured during an exhibition for example. Artists' insurance also covers loss of property like tools, supplies, and artwork from risks like fire, natural disasters, lightning strikes or theft (business personal property). Loss of a studio building you own. Loss of tools, display equipment, or artwork away from your studio, such as at an art show, doing an installation, or in transit.

I also understand that you don't work and you sell items as a hobby business, you won't pay income tax on profits less than £12,570 (your personal allowance). Below is an example of how much you might pay for the current tax year: Income from employment: £40,000. Profits from self-employment: £14,000.

                   - cerf+