While no professional relationship is easy, rosy or all good ( and why should they) the artist-gallerist relationship can be particularly strained. Mostly because the contracts are written on dollar bills with champagne ink and it is very hard to decipher who is the boss, who owes who and how much exactly. A 50-50% of dream come true / nightmare material.

(A gallerist is the Somebody who makes a lot of things possible for me (the Artist) in what seems like a blink of a red eye. He is ruthless, cool and calculating as James Freaking Bond to everybody else and as soft and comfortable as a grandmother's bossom to me ... However you fantasize about your gallerist; the Devil, or a Guardian Angel,  the Fairy Godmother or the Evil Queen, Gandalf, Santa Klaus or Winnie the Pooh - No Sympathy for the Devil )

While we (bpigs) are working on our super secret forum where we ( Artists) can all post, rate and warn each other about the different non paying, intern abusing gallercreeps, I thought it is maybe also important to remember why we are in this business to begin with and that, however awkward, you can and will meet people who are fair, funny, down to earth and do not have their heads up their Kanyes. 

So here are ten reasons why I actually appreciate working with my gallerist. While using the singular form He, the text refers to the group of people working in the gallery.

1. Because we have email conversations like this:
(me) - How do you envision the booth? Missionary? Wall drawing?
-Missionary works, open to other ideas. No destruction please. (Today is the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.)

2. Or like this: (He) The collector that purchased Sushi wants a shelf. Do you mind if we give them the one used for Chelsea Pies 3? (that collector doesn't want the shelf)

3. He makes the best use of the expression “having said that…”

4. Because his eyes get wet when he talks about Argentinian Steak and/or Atlantic City.

5. While he might have the best poker face I have seen, he does not play at the Artists Pocker Night because “They would not like a gallerist taking their money…on top of everything”

6. He reads my blog and not just for damage control.

7. He suggests artists I should look at, shows I should visit, texts I should collage.

8. When refering to the different canvas sizes we use names of past series: The Fears, the Pies and the Creeds.

9. He pays like yesterday.  Neatly, openly, immediately.  

10. Because when he bought a work for himself he paid the whole 50% to me and will give me half of whatever gain in the secondary market. Hell, he even paid the 10% consignment fee.