Wine and cheese model is passé

Globally, the art market is on a high, with works by the Old Masters and contemporary artists fetching record prices at recent auctions.

But times are tough for art galleries. Breenspace, a high profile gallery in Sydney, had to shut shop in 2012, barely six years after it was founded.

Boundlessgallery.com , a popular internet gallery, closed down in March 2010. The list goes on.

However, bucking the trend, art galleries are proliferating in India over the last two years.

“There is a big trend of opening galleries particularly in Delhi and Mumbai,” says art critic Parni Ray.

So, what makes the Indian galleries tick?

“We opened our gallery at a time when galleries worldwide are scaling down. The industry is certainly going through a rough patch. But, we are here to stay and, hence, we are not worried about the short term,” says K Gurubharan, Director of Chennai-based Iba Arts and Crafts, which started operations last year. Nehaarika Perri, Principal Consultant, Art Houz, concurs.

“I believe this temporary slowdown is for (the) good, because it will force people to come up with novel ideas to resurrect the industry.”

The optimism is reflected in the pace of the rollout. Art Houz started its first gallery in Chennai two-and-a-half years ago and has expanded into Bengaluru and Coimbatore in the last six months.

IBA Arts, which has a national footprint through the portal IBA Studio, plans to enter overseas markets such as the US soon.

But at the same time, these art entrepreneurs are also reinventing the old business models.

Art galleries have traditionally generated revenues through two sources: one, by renting out space for artists to showcase their work and, two, by conducting art exhibitions and shows and earning a commission on sales.

Now, galleries are pushing the envelope. For instance, IBA Arts is also into teaching. “In addition to renting space, we also conduct workshops and art courses,” explains its Creative Director Amrutha Ranjani K, an artist herself. They offer art tutorials for periods ranging from a month to a year.

And it’s not just for serious professional artists and wanna-bes either. Art is being projected as a ‘de-stress’ option.

“If you want to take time out and relax, you can come to a workshop and take home your own water colour in three hours or an oil colour painting in six hours,” says Ranjani.

And the best part: “You need no prior experience, we will help you to create your own artwork.”

While IBA has diversified into teaching, Art Houz has gone into publishing. Its bi-monthly art magazine — Arts Illustrated — goes out to 12 key Indian cities.

The subscription and ad revenue helps,” says Perri, who is also the Editor. The magazine features art events trends in the industry.

And for many, it’s not merely a question of money. IBA Arts, for instance, wants to support artists who are struggling to make a living. “We don’t look only at the money angle. Our motive is to promote art. We also keep the artists in mind,” says Gurubharan. They have very transparent practices on prices and payments. “The moment an art work is sold, we make the payment to the artist,” he adds.

Art Houz wants to ensure art isn’t an exclusive preserve of the few and make it affordable to everyone. But this is easier said than done.

“A lot of effort needs to go into forming a community which can sustain you. Social media has become very important… You can reach out to a very large group of people using social media sites,” says Parni Ray.

The traditional approach to the gallery business is passé. We need to move away from the wine and cheese model and look at spending more judiciously; only that will work in the long run, says Perri.

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