The Chinese art market demonstrated dramatic growth in the year 2021 amid a variety of complex situations.  Being the focus of market attention, the contemporary art sector hit record levels in a decade, with a significantly increased number of transactions through galleries in the primary art market and a continuous rise in auction turnover in the secondary market.

On the other hand, the art market was affected by significant uncertainty.  Whenever emergency pandemic measures pause activities in a city, the art gallery industry, which requires face-to-face communication, might encounter severe disruptions to the year-round schedule, continuous delays in art projects, and a lack of on-site activities for art sales.

At the end of 2021. ArtPro, in collaboration with the Art Gallery Association Beijing, launched a questionnaire survey of the members of the Art Gallery Association Beijing, the core and essential components of the art gallery industry in Beijing, on the topic of the current situation and development of art galleries, in the hopes of providing a review and analysis the overall situation of leading institutions in the art gallery industry in Beijing as well as in China.

Scope Of Survey: 

50 gallery members of AGA Beijing 

Respondents: 

65% of the respondents are gallery owners, and 

35% are Gallery Managers. 

Data sources: 

Survey questionnaires, third-party databases, and expert interviews. All conclusions are drafted based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data available. 

Unless otherwise stated, Beijing galleries mentioned in the report refer in particular to 50 gallery members of 4th AGA Beijing.

OVERVIEW

This report provides a comprehensive review and analysis of Beijing galleries' 2021 annual operations through eight aspects, including overall performance, art categories and channels, collaborating artists, practitioners, exhibitions, participation in art fairs, access to new collectors, and promotion methods.

Five Major Findings of Beijing Galleries' 2021 Annual Operations

There is a rapid growth in the global art market in 2021, especially in the modern and contemporary art sectors. In China, 12 auction houses launched 45 shows dedicated to oil painting and contemporary art, offering 3,927 pieces (sets) and selling 3,080 pieces (sets), averaging a clearance rate of 78.4% and achieving a total turnover of 2.653 billion in CNY. As a result, there is an increase of 1,907 pieces (sets) and a 78.5% growth in turnover over the previous year.

In this study, we compared 2021's numbers with those of 2020 in eight aspects, such as overall performance, and found the following five major characteristics:

1. The Beijing art gallery market showed a positive upward trend, with total sales in the primary market far exceeding that of 2020. The total sales in the primary market of the members of Art Gallery Association Beijing were around CNY 1.027 billion in 2021, an increase of CNY 0.287 billion, or 38.8%, compared with the total sales of CNY 0.74 billion in 2020.

2. The overall number of online sales by Beijing galleries in 2021 was down 70% versus the previous year. The Decrease is closely related to the strong recovery of conventional, core sales methods—offline exhibitions and art fairs.

3. The artists represented by Beijing galleries were very diverse in 2021, with 88% of the galleries representing female artists, 78% of the galleries representing post-90s or post-00s artists, and 78% of the galleries representing overseas artists.

4. The academic level of exhibitions by Beijing galleries was elevated significantly in 2021, with 78% of the galleries holding educational exhibitions with collaborating artists in art museums, museums, and other academic institutions. 86% of the exhibitions hosted by Beijing galleries in 2021 are curated by curators, increasing 41% versus the previous year.

5. Regarding promotion methods, 54% of Beijing galleries chose social media platforms such as RED and Weibo, much more than those that chose paper media, traditional online portals, and short-video platforms such as Tiktok and Kuaishou. It shows that new social media platforms with artistic and cultural attributes are attracting the attention of the industry. International and domestic social media platforms both account for about 50%, with international platforms increasing by 46% versus 2020.