Events & Programs

Many people come to Paris with a vague idea that they will open an art gallery and deal with artists and art lovers on a daily basis. Some people nurture this dream which sustains them as they work hard to earn the moneyfor their retirement. Others stumble into the process and suddenly find that they are acting as the go between for artists and collectors.

I have worked in galleries over the last four years. Once as a director and now as assistant to the director of a gallerist. My first experiece was a difficult but successful one. I began by doing a gallerist a favour, for a couple of weekends and found myself obsessed and still doing it 3 years later. The second experience is a more structured, equally demanding but pleasant experience, where I also have time to create. Overall, I developed a great deal of respect for those who run galleries properly. I understand the amount of work involved and have a good understanding of the process which goes on behind the scenes.

There are many different structures within which a person can place themselves in this art world. It's a mysterious and undefined profession which may suit the more poetic at heart. It brings many opportunities and excitements but it is also fraught with hazards, traps and dangers.

This presentation will give an overview of the Paris art scene. The talk will be about the very important and practical elements of actually setting up and running a gallery in Paris. There are great opportunities here. Business incentives and tax incentives. Great artists and other great galleries. Depending on your hopes and expectations it can require a very strategic mind to make the best of creating an art gallery and whatever happens, you have to know, it really is work.

About Tom J. Byrne

I have been a visual artist all my life. In 2004, I left Ireland for Paris to expand my knowledge of other artists. Learn new methods and specifically study the techniques of the Renaissance painters. I was very fortunate to find master painters, who were willing to share their knowledge and experience.

A short while after finishing my studies, a gallery owner, in whose gallery I exhibited, asked me for a favour. To manage their gallery for one weekend. They never returned. After 3 years of running the gallery it had become an obsession with me. I never realised how much was involved in selling art. Finally in 2011 the first gallery closed but I had done well and another gallery, also on the ile Saint Louis, invited me to work with them.

In preparation for this talk, I decided to ask others for their opinions and about their experiences. I conducted a series of interviews with gallerists Dorothy Polley and Mariska Hammoudi who are established in Paris. I have written about them on my blog but not about their process, that's something you'll discover during my presentation.