Gallery owners report surge in art sales after Covid lockdown

Bowen Galleries co-director Penney Moir. Photo / RNZ

By Eva Corlett, of RNZ.

Gallery owners across the country are reporting a surge in art sales since the Covid-19 lockdown ended.

But others say just a fraction of artists are benefiting, as some struggle in the wake of the pandemic.

Bowen Galleries, co-directed by Penney Moir and Jenny Neligan, has been operating for 40 years in central Wellington.

In March, they had a large show ready to open, and then the lockdown was announced.

"We had no idea how the year was going to pan out. At that point, we thought, if we still had the door open in September, we'd be doing very well," Moir said.

As restrictions eased, people emerged from their homes and something unexpected happened.

The gallery carried on with the show it had planned and it almost sold out.

"We've had that sort of year. The winter has been phenomenal.

"Not only are we looking at keeping the door open, we are looking at one of the best years we've ever had."

The demand has given the artists with Bowen Galleries renewed confidence, she said.

"It's a huge help for them. If their art is their sole income, given the high cost of living in New Zealand, it is so helpful for them.

"It really underwrites what they're driven to do, and it so helps their quality of life."

She put the boom in interest down to people not being able to use the money on travel and perhaps wanting to sharpen up their home environment.

Some art galleries are reporting a surge in art sales post lockdown. Photo / 123rf

The interest is not just coming from existing clients, she said.

"We're seeing fresh faces and working with people we've never seen before."

One of those fresh buyers was Tania, who walked into the gallery on the first day of alert level 3.

"It was a Saturday and I was buzzing.

"I was out and about and I wandered into the gallery, because that's something we were allowed to do, and the euphoria of it probably overwhelmed me a little bit and may explain why I decided to buy something."

Tania saved money during the lockdown on incidental costs, which gave her a few hundred dollars to put towards a piece.

"Buying an artwork is a fair chunk of money but buying it, you know you're supporting, often, people who work really hard on their art but often struggle to make ends meet.

"It's so cool to be able to support that, and get to see a beautiful work of art every day."

In Auckland, Gary Langsford of Gow Langsford Gallery said they've had show after show sell-out.

When the gallery reopened after lockdown, with a large Paul Dibble show, there were "unprecedented sales", Langsford said.

"It was extraordinary," he said.

"It exceeded our expectations, particularly because they were large-scale works. It was a gamble for that time and we sold out, pretty much."

Langsford said the New Zealand art community is maturing, and with it being difficult to curate international artists into the country, that bodes well for local artists.

"We're catching up with international trends, and we have senior artists demanding certain price levels, and the art-buying New Zealand public is aware of it and prepared to pay it."

With interest rates being so low, people are looking for other assets to put their money into, he added.

Former gallery owner and now industry consultant Sarah Hopkinson agreed Covid-19 could turn a spotlight back on to New Zealand artists.

But she said this is a micro-boom, for a slither of the art world.

With precarious jobs, high living costs and rents, many other artists are feeling the brunt of the crisis, especially younger generations.

"Generally speaking, it's always good to see more investment in the arts. But my first question is, what part of the art market is booming and what part is not.

"It's like any industry, it has multiple layers."

Many barriers exists for emerging artists, and it is becoming rarer to see younger artists setting up commercial galleries, Hopkinson said.

"Efforts are being made. Auckland Art Fair has just launched this initiative to include artist-run spaces at no cost to the galleries, so younger artists can come into the fold. That's really positive.

"But it does still feel like a bit of a gap in the market at the moment."

Now is a good opportunity for gallerists to capture the imagination of Aotearoa through exhibiting local work and supporting artist-run spaces, she said.