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So I know this is super bougie of me, but we have a small biannual original art budget. Every twoish years I hunt for a nice small painting, and you know what I've discovered?
Most gallery collections are about 70-90% men.
Most gallery collections are about 70-90% men.
Sidenote: non-premium (i.e. most of it) art tends to a fairly linear price based on canvas size--it's a rough proxy for the artist's time, and the amount of detail possible.
Anyway. so. It's shocking how undervalued paintings by women often are, if they're in galleries at all.
Anyway. so. It's shocking how undervalued paintings by women often are, if they're in galleries at all.
In a few cases I've seen women's art on Etsy that's as good as stuff in galleries. Some women set up Shopify stores or exhibit in community-hall shows instead, so hunt there too!
Lower-end and newer galleries, though, DO tend to have more women... sometimes even close to parity.
Lower-end and newer galleries, though, DO tend to have more women... sometimes even close to parity.
Getting into "fancy" galleries means teaching opportunities, better promotion, workshop invites... and that means more commercial & commission requests ($$). And it means an artist can spend more time planning, sketching, redoing, perfecting any given piece.
Anyway. For 2019/2020 I split the budget across two fantastic PNW artists, one established and one new. I got tiny--and very different--paintings from each: Teresa Smith, and Michaela Hoppe. Super stoked to hang these and enjoy them!
