Gallery Exhibition Catalog Essays

Daniel Grant recently wrote an article I found interesting called The Disappearing Art Catalogue Essay.  Grant reveals in his article that he is finding fewer galleries publishing in-depth article essays.  The art exhibition catalogs are still being used and printed by galleries, yet they are including more images and less text.  I think that is unfortunate, but it is like a lot of things, attentions spans seem to be smaller, and to some, the graphical connections is now stronger than the printed work.

Grant states that some collectors feel they know enough about the artists they collect, and therefore dont require supporting essays in catalogs. Also,  in this era of declining profits, expenses are more closely watched, and producing the essays can be expensive.  It is too bad, as the essay might not be needed for the specific collector, I think it is beneficial to other collectors as well as for future generations.

Grant reports

Many gallery exhibition catalogues continue to include essays, offering biographical, art historical and technical insights about the artists, but a trend is emerging: the catalogue essay is slowly fading away, replaced sometimes by a dealer's penned tribute or a brief question-and-answer page with the artist or by nothing at all. "The word has become just a lot less important in these days when everyone has computers and iPods," said art critic Dore Ashton, who used to write catalogue essays frequently for gallery shows but now only for exhibitions that take place in Europe. "No one here reads that much." Or, more properly, visitors to galleries may not read exhibition catalogue essays as much as they once might have done. Both Newman and Jenkins-Johnson stated that they have received blank stares when mentioning to prospective buyers an idea written up in the catalogue essay. "Most times, no one notices if an essay isn't included," Andrew Arnot, director of Manhattan's Tibor de Nagy gallery, said. The essay is rarely a part of conversations he has with collectors, and it does not appear to be a factor in a collector's decision if or what to buy. As a result, the Tibor de Nagy gallery also has foregone catalogue essays, at least some of the time.

Not every dealer takes this view. New York gallery owner June Kelly stated that "I have essays in every catalogue, and I always have," claiming that part of her role is educator. "I see the general public needing information. I want to give people a sense of what the work is about, a point of reference." She added that essays are helpful to visitors to the gallery who are not collectors -- yet -- and simply need a way to understand what they are seeing. Still, the connection between the information essay and actual sales is tenuous, and their continued inclusion is based on the belief that it is the right thing to do rather than it is a proven marketing tool.

To read the full article, click HERE.