Vanity galleries are parasites who feed on emerging artists' aspirations to show their work.  They make their money from artists' hopes and dreams.

The origin of the name comes from vanity publishing.  They were a last resort for authors whose books were not deemed commercially viable by traditional publishers. They would publish any work at the right price. Authors could claim to have work published, but they had paid for it.

With vanity galleries, it's a little bit different because the artist is duped. The artist thinks it's genuine and an an investment worth risking.

A vanity gallery charges the artist fees to exhibit the work and they make their money from the artist rather than from sales to the public.

Vanity galleries are not curated and they will exhibit anyone who pays. They may charge a fee to join them, charge the artist to send their work, to exhibit etc. It's all about money. It's pure commercial operation.

Commercial art galleries get their profit from sales of artwork and spend years following artists before inviting them to join them.   If the artwork sells, the gallery makes a profit, and the artist is then paid.

Vanity galleries have no incentive to sell art, as they have already been paid by the artist. Vanity galleries are not selective because they do not have to be.

They are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach. If you're wondering if an approach is genuine, google ' is x a vanity gallery?' There are websites that show lists of vanity galleries and the many different names they use.

Resource: Howsmydealing

Have you any vanity gallery experiences?

Follow Éadaoin on Instagram.