Art Gallery Manager Duties & Responsibilities
The role and function of an Art Gallery Manager includes the following duties and responsibilities:
- Promoting and selling artists’ work, through both exhibitions and personal contacts;
- Overseeing the type of artwork sold;
- Planning, organizing, presenting and marketing exhibitions and shows, including responsibility for public relations;
- Keeping up to date with industry developments and market trends;
- Developing and updating the gallery website;
- General administration, budgeting, finance and accounts.
- Arranging transportation of work to and from the gallery, both nationally and internationally;
- Organizing equipment hire and ensuring correct installation of the artwork;
- Working closely with individual artists, developing relationships with new artists, and extending relationships with established artists from the gallery ‘stable’;
- Promoting exhibitions and work by individual artists;
- Ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the gallery;
- Developing and/or maintaining the gallery’s remit;
- Developing client lists by notifying potential clients of particular works and exhibitions, according to their stated interests;
- Extending the client database;
- Maintaining ongoing promotion and advertising of the gallery;
- Assessment and selection of artwork;
- Curating shows in cooperation with artists and technicians;
- Cataloguing acquisitions and keeping records and archives;
- Negotiating with gallery managers and curators from other galleries to arrange for loans;
- Keeping front of house staff briefed on technical and artistic matters relating to programming;
- Liaising with visiting artists and negotiating sales;
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Art Gallery Manager duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Art Gallery Manager roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.
