Southeastern ART Gallery News


GALLERY HOURS by Robert Matre

November 1, 2004

DISCLAIMER

I agreed to give a museum lecture a few months ago, never stopping to think
why someone would want to spend their evening listening to me talk about me.
As the date grew near, I asked Jack Watson, former Chief Of Staff to Jimmy
Carter, for advice on affective public speaking.

He told me to remember that the audience was there to hear me speak about my
experiences of owning a gallery, and that no one is a greater expert on the
subject of Robert Matre and Matre Gallery than I am. That fact will be
important for you to remember as you read this this monthly column, because
everything I say could just as easily be wrong as right.

I will draw upon nine years of owning a gallery. I will not pretend to be
an expert beyond my own experiences, but in that time I have probably seen
and heard it all. I will give you my opinion. I will give you some good
insight into the gallery business. I will give you some good advice, and
quite possibly some bad advice as well. My goal is not to expose, but to
simply inform, entertain and possibly educate.

So to all the gallery owners, artists, collectors, curators and anyone else
interested in this crazy business of art, this column is for you.

GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!

I was in the check-out aisle at the Peachtree Battle Publix, and the numbers
jumping off of the various magazine covers were staggering.

The Perfect 10 Minute Workout. Save 30 Minutes A Day. 50 Health Secrets
For Women Only. 137 Wreaths, Cards, Stockings, Candles, Giftwraps, Garlands
& Decorations. At Last- 5 Hot TV Shows Worth Watching. (#1- Desperate
Housewives!) 22 Real People Share Weight Loss Secrets. 10 Ways To Simplify
Your Financial Life. Add 2 Inches To Your Chest Today. 20 Best Sex Ideas
In The World.

That was a total of 287 things to ponder just right there, and I quickly
realized that if my goal was to entertain, I had to learn some quick
lessons. As Ray Davies once said, ³Give The People What They Want!², and
apparently the people want lists. Who am I not to pander to the lowest
common denominator? So here it is...

THE 5 QUESTIONS THAT SIMPLY MUST BE ANSWERED

1. How did you get into this business?

People are certainly intrigued by my profession. It seems like everyone in
Atlanta has a career in law, real estate or insurance. A gallery owner is
not even on the radar. I got into this business because art has been a
constant in my life, and I truly love all things creative (with the
exception of Toby mugs). It was one of those far-flung ideas discussed over
a few beers, only I woke up the next morning and actually started looking
for a space. I had no idea what I was doing, but if you were ever unlucky
enough to hear my old band play, then you would know that I am not afraid of
failure. I knew I had an eye for talent, and I thought I had good instincts
for this business. But mostly it was because I had come to a point in my
life where I had to do something important, and I was tired of selling
luggage.

2. Where do you find your artists?

If you own a gallery, artists will find you. If you own a good gallery,
good artists will find you. But if you want your gallery to be vital, you
will also have to seek out artists that appeal to you. I find out about new
artists through magazines, the internet and word of mouth. If I feel
strongly about their work, I will find a way to get in touch with them. Iım
still waiting for Donald Baechler to return my call.

3. What do you do on a typical day?

OK, so we donıt open until 11 am and we are closed on Mondays, but that
doesnıt mean there isnıt work to be done. Just forget about 40 hour work
weeks. There is a retail business to be run. There are relationships to
foster, and deals to be struck. There are artists to promote, exhibitions
to plan, paintings to hang and openings to host. There is more to be done
than time and money allow. Contrary to popular belief, I donıt play golf
every day. I only wish I did.

4. Are you the artist?

This is my favorite, especially during group exhibitions. It never fails.
Someone will walk in, look around, see work by ten or so different artists,
and then look at me and ask if I am the artist. If the answer was yes, that
would probably make me the most talented, versatile artist in the world.
And if so, then why would I be sitting behind a desk in a gallery answering
silly questions?

5. Is this your main job?

In other words, this canıt possibly be lucrative. Some people just canıt
conceive that I have made a career out of selling art. But then again, I
canıt understand how the corporate world works either. I was lucky enough
to discover something that I love to do, and then I found a way to make it
work. But since weıre probably not going to get the band back together, and
I am almost ready to give up on my dreams of the PGA Tour, it looks like
Iıll be doing this for a long time. What else would I do anyway?

Email your questions to robert@matregallery.com. I will do my best to
either reply or include them in future columns.








Back to www.southeasternartgallerynews.com
copyright@2004, All rights reserved.