A gallery is an area or space that contains art, where each piece of artwork is displayed for general viewing. They are typically very large spaces with high ceilings, making them feel more expansive.

Exhibition, however, comes in another form. An exhibition is when one specific artist creates works inspired by, influenced heavily from, or even incorporating pieces from their own collection. These artists usually keep their collections to themselves, as people often recognize their talent and influence.

Both types of shows have their benefits. Having a show within a museum allows for wider exposure, but there are still ways to benefit directly from your fellow artist. As an artist yourself, you can use this information to create new pieces or improve yours.

If you’re already an experienced artist, attending exhibitions and galleries can give you inspiration or push you towards creating new work. You may also find out about other artists who are worth looking into! Read on to learn more about the differences between a gallery and exhibition, and what things to look for when deciding which type of show to attend.

Difference between a gallery and exhibition | Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed reading our article here today about the difference between a gallery and exhibition. If you had success at both, then you are doing well!

Whether you are just starting out as a visual artist or you are advanced, attending events sponsored by artistic organizations or individual artists is great way to remain active and expose yourself to different styles and concepts.

History of art

difference between gallery and exhibition

Artists have always created beautiful works that are displayed for the public to look at. The term “artist” is not limited to someone who goes to school and studies art, but rather anyone with creativity in them can be an artist!

Some people may feel like they cannot draw or paint, so they do not try to pursue it as a career. This is totally fine because you do not need to be trained as an artist to create artistic pictures!

You can learn how to take good photos and edit them to make them look more interesting, which could then lead to you being able to develop your craft as a photographer. Or you can choose to go into drawing, painting, or any other type of artwork.

Definition of gallery

difference between gallery and exhibition

A museum with art displayed for viewing is a _________.

A museum that features only one type of artwork or display pattern is a ____________________.

These are called galleries, because they feature artistic displays in an exhibition-style setting.

Some museums go beyond just displaying art to create experiences for their visitors as well! For example, some have educational programs, gift areas, restaurants, or even activities outside of looking at paintings.

The term “museum” usually implies this, but it isn’t always the case. You may know what a museum is, but you might not be aware of all of its subtypes.

History of galleries

difference between gallery and exhibition

Historically, a gallery was an open area with walls or structures that functioned as a place to show off and admire art. Ancient Greeks had such spaces where artists would display their work for the public to enjoy and appreciate.

The word “gallery” comes from the French term galerie which means corridor or side room. It was not until the 18th century that the term became associated with a specific type of space; one designed specifically to feature and showcase artwork.

In Britain, France and Germany, this new type of gallery emerged during the Renaissance period. Artists and architects created large rooms lined with framed paintings so guests could look at and explore them.

These exhibitionist settings were meant to inspire awe, wonder and admiration – just like looking at a painting!

Since then, the term has stuck and is used to describe similar types of artistic gathering places. However, note that it can mean different things depending on the country it is used in.

That said, we will use the British definition of a gallery here. A gallery is defined as an exhibition space with a continuous floor-to-ceiling wall structure and a ceiling that is higher than half way down the length of the wall.

Geoffrey Borland, Professor of Art Theory and Historiography at University College London, says there are two main reasons why having a gallery makes sense.

Firstly, he notes that it helps create flow within the museum.

What is an exhibition?

difference between gallery and exhibition

An exhibition is when someone brings their work or collection to your display space for everyone to see. It’s similar to displaying something you make in stores, restaurants, or museums where people can look and admire it.

But with an exhibition, there are sometimes more than just you looking at their work. People come from all over to see what they have made and a part of them wants to touch, try on, or study the pieces.

This is why most exhibitions are protected by copyright so that people cannot take the art for themselves without permission. This way, the artist gets credit for his/her work and others get to enjoy it as well!

Feature: Is an Exhibit Open For Visitation

Some institutions use this system to promote interest in the arts. The public can attend events such as music concerts, theater productions, or art exhibits free of cost.

What is a display?

difference between gallery and exhibition

A display is when someone puts something they want to get attention for it. For example, if you go into a restaurant and look at all of the beautiful food that has been prepared for you, that’s a display. You paid to eat there, so they cooked for you and designed the menu for you, which makes them do their job very well!

With art, a similar thing happens. An artist creates a piece of artwork, it gets noticed, people come looking at it, and then they are either inspired or influenced by what they saw.

A lot of artists use references as part of how they create new pieces. They find inspiration from other things, take notes, and incorporate those ideas into their own work.

There are many ways to show an art piece. If you are in your creative flow, try finding different displays for your painting, re-framing it, putting it in a setting with more depth, etc. – these can add value to it.

What is the difference between a show and an exhibit?

difference between gallery and exhibition

A show is when someone puts their work in a gallery for people to admire it, typically for you to peruse and evaluate as a form of art appreciation.

A exhibition is when someone takes their work out of the gallery and into the real world. They may put up a sign or make other changes to indicate that they are now open for business, but it’s harder to appreciate the artwork while it’s still being displayed.

You will probably not go up to a painting and say “Wow! That looks really good!” if you have no idea what artists even look like! (We know, weird.

Differences between online and in-person galleries

difference between gallery and exhibition

Online galleries are very different from in person art exhibitions or galleries. This is not to say that one is better than the other, but instead that they have their own unique benefits depending on what you want to achieve!

Online galleries are typically free unless you pay for an account somewhere such as Patreon or ArtStation. You can easily create an artist profile where people may be able to follow your work and get updates on new creations.

This is especially helpful for aspiring artists who might not have access to expensive resources such as painting materials or studio space. Because of this, many artists make use of the internet to gain exposure and begin working towards creating their own artistic masterpiece.

In-person art exhibitions are great ways to show off your talents and gather feedback. However, most require you to bring lots of equipment (such as paints) yourself which could cost money.

Some museums offer low price entry tickets but these are usually only valid at certain times so it cannot be used as an easy way to view all of the exhibits. This is definitely not the case for online galleries!

With the ever growing popularity of the internet and social media sites, there are now plenty of opportunities to share your artwork with others. Many websites allow users to add comments and/or like works of art which gives more context to the piece.

Examples of each type of gallery

A more formal way to describe a room full of art is as a collection or display of artwork. This is typically referred to as an exhibition, but there are two types of exhibitions: thematic and non-thematic.

A thematic exhibition requires you to be aware of what genre of art it contains before it can be categorized. For example, if the exhibit was landscapes, then it has been determined that this genre includes nature scenes so it gets classified under that.

Non-thematic exhibits do not have any defining features. An interesting display of pottery would not get classified as a collection because it does not belong to a specific genre. It could easily go against our natural instinct to group things by size, color, and shape, all qualities found in most anything made of ceramic!

The term “collection” also implies some kind of order. Art cannot be considered a collection unless it is organized into genres and styles, which makes sense since that is how we define those terms.