What's the reality of making money through traditional galleries?

Research interviewing top artists selling in galleries in London and New York showed that the percentage of artists making over six figures a year after all gallery fees is mind-bogglingly small — like a tenth of a percent. It’s like the number of people who play sports versus the number of professional athletes. That paradigm was done by the mid-90s. Now galleries want to see your website, your social media following size, and your email list before they’ll take you. If you don’t have those things, they’ll pass because they don’t want to work that hard.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-06-05