Oct 17th, 2019, 02:19 PM

Why Aren’t Art Galleries Taking Advantage of the Digital Age?

By Liza Cameron
Takashi Murakami, Baka, at Gallery Perrotin in Paris. Image Credit/Liza Cameron
Takashi Murakami, Baka, at Gallery Perrotin in Paris. Image Credit/Liza Cameron
In such an Instagrammable industry, social media users lack engaging visual content

High-end art galleries are known for being unapproachable, sleek, usually white rooms with natural light and curators always a little standoffish. These galleries’ social media accounts tell a different story, one absent of luxury appeal. 

As someone with behind the scenes experience at numerous galleries, I’ve seen that the digital state of high-end art galleries is lacking. Clare McAndrew at Artsy said that top galleries have maintained similar business models since the beginning and that “they aren’t working as well as they used to.” These galleries run on word of mouth, exhibitions with private invitations, and appointments. On Instagram, there are one or two posts about each new show, which could be easily lost in the algorithms of the gallery’s followers. These posts are also generally unrelated to the next, making for lack of cohesion on the homepage.

In an attention economy where viral images have the power to drive the success of an artist, galleries need to be prioritizing social content. The Art Newspaper states that the Instagram culture will undoubtedly affect museums and galleries for years to come. The importance of social media isn’t a fleeting issue, and there are many reasons for galleries to take note.

Raymond Pettibon, Frenchette, at David Zwirner Gallery in Paris. Image Credit/Liza Cameron
 

From high to low end, galleries are missing out on a large portion of clients. The companies aren’t marketing to the masses or even their own followers efficiently. The same Artsy article previously mentioned, says that there is a lack of female art collectors and that galleries need to be looking for new patrons. The use of Instagram could directly improve gallery exposure among women, with the majority of Instagram users being female, according to Statista. Yet Instagram is a market that is not being tapped. 

Even more, than reaching a single group, visual art seems like the most relevant product for an app dedicated solely to images. In valuing art, Marla Goldwasser tells Quartz that aesthetics are still the most crucial part of attributing value to a piece of work. Galleries should be using this to their advantage, using Instagram to market works and artists. Instead, galleries tend to be uncreative with how they post, showing only the work at face value without linking real and creative connections to their followers.

Lastly, these galleries need to improve their social media footprint for the simple reason that buyers are increasingly looking online for art. Artwork Archive holds that young buyers “are more likely to take risks, go above and beyond when it comes to networking in the industry, and use social media to both buy art and supplement their research.” It’s not only small scale buyers, according to Artsy, in 2015 what people were willing to pay online for art increased by $20,000 in one year, and continues to rise. 

Takashi Murakami, Baka, at Gallery Perrotin in Paris. Image Credit/Liza Cameron
 

New young artists who grew up with social media, like Sarah Bahbah and Sara Cwynar, are recognizing the importance of media platforms and directly engaging with their followers to build their brand. Galleries are lagging on this trend providing subpar content for their sometimes hundreds or thousands of followers. Galleries will need to catch up with a changing industry, or they will miss out on valuable clientele as younger generations become important collectors.  

Looking to dip your toe into the art world? Check out these Parisian galleries on ArtForum.