In 2020. the pandemic stopped the whole world. Especially the art industry, which relies on sensibility and communication, suffering profound impact in recent years. The wellness of galleries, the thermometer of the art market, is a topic that everyone is concerned about.

At the end of 2020. ArtPro and Beijing Art Gallery Association launched a questionnaire survey on the Beijing Art Gallery Association members to discuss the current situation and development of art galleries. We review and analyze this particular period to find out the trend and prospect of art galleries. Members of the Beijing Gallery Association are the core and the essential components of the Beijing gallery industry. This survey represents the overall situation of Beijing and China's gallery industry.

Research Scope: 55 galleries, members of Beijing Gallery Association

Participants: 55% of the respondents were gallery owners, and 45% were Gallery Managers.

Data sources: questionnaire, third-party database and expert interviews. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the available data, relevant conclusions are drawn.

This report will make a comprehensive analysis and explanation from the following seven aspects: annual business situation of the galleries in 2020. business model, employment of the gallery staff, the quantity and quality of exhibitions, participation in the Art Fair, new collectors obtaining approaches, and gallery promotion methods.

Five core changes of Beijing Gallery in 2020:

Overall Description: under the background of the pandemic situation in 2020. China's contemporary art market is rising strongly. In 2020. the top four cities of contemporary art market share in the global auction market were New York, London, Hong Kong, and Beijing. Compared with 2019. the market share of New York and London has decreased significantly by 43% and 22%, respectively, while that of Hong Kong has decreased by 8% compared with the same period last year. Only Beijing has increased by 72% compared with the same period the previous year. In the global art market is not optimistic, the Beijing market can rise against the trend, the market potential can be seen.

In the first half of the year, a large number of galleries were unable to operate normally. However, the development of China's contemporary art market is booming. From the five significant changes of Beijing galleries in 2020. we can see the trend of rapid growth:

Conclusion: 1. Sixty percent of the investigated Beijing galleries are profitable. Under the COVID-19. 80% of Beijing galleries have participated in online business activities in 2020. namely, reflected in online exhibitions, online sales, and online promotion.

Acquiring new collectors is the crucial work of galleries. In 2020. nearly 50% of Beijing galleries will have new collectors, accounting for 20-30% or more among collectors in galleries. At the same time, the ways of acquiring new collectors present a diversified trend. In addition to the traditional offline exhibitions and the recommendation of old collectors, gathering activities, online forum activities, and exchanges of collectors have also become the new trend of acquiring collectors.

Affected by COVID-19. overseas art fairs cannot be carried out usually, promoting the transaction and development of domestic and online art fairs. In 2020. 80% of galleries in Beijing will still choose to participate in major art fairs worldwide, and 60% will participate in online art fairs.

After years of efforts of gallery owners, the quality of gallery staff has been greatly improved. Undergraduates and graduates has become the mainstream. More professional team play a core role in the development of the gallery industry.

Galleries have invested heavily in the operation of new media and galleries. New media and short videos became the main promotion methods. 100% of galleries set their WeChat official account independently. The establishment and development of its platform became the only way for galleries to develop their brands. Less than 10% of the galleries chose overseas media promotion. Under the background of globalization, “going overseas “requires further efforts from Beijing Gallery on this long road.

Next, we will make an in-depth analysis of the major business sectors of Beijing Gallery in 2020.