Velthuis makes a great sociological analysis of the front room – back room architectural dynamic of the art market. I’ve been in a few galleries in New York City and never even realized (until now) that there is even a backroom. Maybe I was naïve, maybe I didn’t think about it as I am not involved in the art market, or maybe the galleries have it down to such a science that most people get so "caught up" in the artwork that it’s something they don’t even think about. But having read this piece by Velthuis, I think that when you look past a gallery’s front room / back room set up, what’s at play is not so much a study in sociology, but instead sophisticated marketing and an understanding of consumer behavior. That being said, I do agree that the architecture and economics of the contemporary art market is probably unlike any other market. For example, textbook supply and demand does not seem to set the price. On the contrary, there is an attempt to avoid a “hostile worlds” mixing of art and money because it could negatively affect art (Coslor 210). While that viewpoint is important in the architecture of the contemporary art market, I am focusing my response on the gallery space used for selling art as its something I find very intriguing.
Velthuis’ analysis of how galleries separate art and money through the front room / back room is insightful. The first thing that came to mind after reading his piece is how he initially talked about the apparent lack of initiative to gallery owners or directors to make a sale and their “anti-commercial self representations” (Velthuis 22). He basically suggests that by being non-commercial and having a “distinctiveness for his products” (Velthuis 23), the dealer can better market significant artwork to significant clients. The amazing thing here is that even though I believe it is all a show – a façade, the fact is that it works. It’s so easy to get caught up in the austere gallery space and the art work on display, that one only thinks about money after he has become committed to buying a piece on display. What is absolutely amazing here is that I don’t think there is anything else I can think of that people consider for purchase without knowing its price.
Can anyone here ever think of shopping for a car or a home without knowing what it costs?
Art dealers claim that it is more about the artwork itself rather than the money involved. Velthuis says that it is important to separate “art from commerce” (Velthuis 30). Many contemporary art dealers claim that they distribute art for their love of art, not for the money. Because of this, the dealers say they physically design their galleries as places for experimentation, vehicles for ideas, and places where art can flourish, instead of as a showcase for commodities (Velthuis 21). Although a gallery is essentially a retail store for art, it is purposely not designed that way. I find this all very intriguing because it’s obvious that money plays a very important role in the art business; without it there wouldn’t be an art market to begin with.
Inside the front room of the gallery, the focus is on the art and nothing else. The aesthetics of the gallery seems to be rather bland. The floors are wooden, instead of carpeted. The walls have no decoration, there is no furnishing, and the lights are bright halogens that “resemble those of construction sites” (Velthuis 31). There are no price tags or cash registers present. This is obviously designed to get the prospective customer “caught up” in the artwork. And the more caught up the customer gets in the work without knowing the price, the more likely I think he or she is to make a purchase. Had a big price tag been on front of the work, maybe the customer would have acted differently. It’s a lot easier to fall in love with something when you aren’t thinking about the price.
The back room, on the other hand, is where all the business transactions take place. “The back room is constructed as a commercial space; art and commerce are juxtaposed physically in the architecture of the modern gallery” (Velthuis 33). The back room is also purposely hidden from the main front room. Offices can be found in this back room, including inventory, price lists, and other paperwork. The back room makes the “information architecture of the market visible” (Velthuis 35). The back room is also used for secondary market sales, which usually involves special high priced artworks.
The best way to sum up the back room / front room architectural dynamic is that the modern day art gallery is a work of art in and of itself; not necessarily an artist’s work of art, but the work of someone who I think understands consumer behavior and knows how to market a product. By the gallery not being forceful or obvious about a sale, the customer is probably more inclined to actually make a purchase. Once the customer, or his spouse, has fallen in love with a painting, it has to be easier for the gallery to make the sale.
Here is a picture of a front room at a gallery; you can hardly tell there is back room: 
Here is a picture of a back room at a gallery: 