A Few Rich Galleries Are Sponsoring Lots of Museum Shows, Guess Whose Idea It Was

The New York Times has an interesting story about the demands being placed on galleries by museums to financially support exhibitions of their artists. The issue was first raised by The Art Newspaper with a lot of hand-wringing about conflicts of interest, “especially when they often offer logistical and financial support for exhibitions.”

Turns out the, as the Times reveals, the galleries aren’t offering. They’re being put in a squeeze by the museums who know a sitting duck when they see one:

Over all, dealers say they have come to accept this practice as simply another cost of doing business — like setting up shop in the mushrooming number of international art fairs (going rate: $100,000) — and part of their obligation to their artists.

“As funding sources become tougher for exhibitions, museums have an expectation that galleries will assist in identifying potential funders as well as making outright or in-kind contributions,” the dealer James Cohan said. “It’s in our artists’ best interest to support these projects.”

Art Galleries Face Pressure to Fund Museum Shows (The New York Times)