Emmanuel Perrotin, owner of the galleries of the same name, is a defender of the democratization of these artistic places.

While the museums are closed, he welcomes the emergence of a new public who come to discover works, offering in the way a good visibility to the exhibitors.

Museums are closed but art galleries remain open.

And the owners encourage those who can to come visit them without feeling intimidated.

Emmanuel Perrotin, owner of the galleries of the same name, expresses on Europe 1 his satisfaction at receiving this "new audience" who, thanks to the Covid, come to discover the works on offer.

The word of mouth that social networks allow and the ripple effect that crowds can create offers great visibility to these artistic places as well as, perhaps, future profits. 

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As Emmanuel Perrotin explains, these new visitors are less inclined to buy art and apprehend galleries as they could with museums.

Unaccustomed, they are even surprised at the free entry.

This gives them an opportunity to "discover younger artists and, in some galleries, monuments of art history".

And the crowd is growing ever larger, with 1,400 people last Saturday at the Perrotin gallery for example.

For its owner, this enthusiasm is explained by a "ripple effect. Because many people come, the following are less intimidated". 

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This is particularly valid for young people, an audience that "did not exist" at the start of Emmanuel Perrotin's career because they felt excluded.

According to the gallery owner, "social networks are doing a big job" in the popularity of these places.

In particular Instagram because "the galleries are, often, an image support".

... for long-term profit?

A trend that already existed but was reinforced by the Covid.

The virus "has accelerated this movement because when you cannot talk about museum exhibitions, you are talking about gallery exhibitions", explains Emmanuel Perrotin.

The latter have an advantage, compared to museums, because "you don't know what you are going to see, it can be an adventure". 

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The interest of this democratization for establishments is above all to obtain more visibility.

"We do not win financially," says the gallery owner.

Indeed, according to him "the general public rarely buys".

But any exhibition is good to take and as he admits, "some people may realize that the artists we represent are not that inaccessible".

Profit is therefore not immediately sought after, however "if it attracts new audiences and within these there are future new buyers, it will be very profitable in the long term", admits Emmanuel Perrotin.