Solo show (art exhibition)
Encyclopedia
A solo show or solo exhibition is an exhibition
of the work of only one artist
. The artwork may be painting
s, drawing
s, etching
s, collage
, sculpture
, or photography
. The creator of any artistic technique may be the subject of a solo show. Other skills and crafts have similar types of shows for the creators. Having solo shows of one's artwork marks the achievement of success and usually is accompanied by receptions and a great deal of publicity
. The show may be of current work being produced, those from a single time period, or representative work from different periods in the career of the artist, the later is termed a retrospective.
in 1785, the year after he refused to become a Royal Acadamician
.
Art Galleries became numerous in large cities during the nineteenth century and flourished during the twentieth century, often becoming included among stores
in small towns as well, after the middle of the twentieth century.
Generally, as artists begin to show their work they are accepted by commercial gallery owners for display among the works of many or among others who work in the same area. The works of the artists are sold and the galleries take commissions. As artists gain stature and attract a following who will purchase their works in greater numbers, gallery owners will promote their works in solo shows with a great deal of publicity about the show. The artists with the greatest appeal to a gallery's clients may be invited to be represented by that gallery consistently, developing a constant relationship that even may develop into exclusive rights to offer the sale of the works by those artists.
Once artists become recognized for their skills among critics and collectors through representation at galleries, museum directors and staff members may begin to purchase the works of the artists for museum collections. Museums also hold exhibitions that change regularly and may chose to feature a solo show of the works of an artist as one of these exhibitions. Works that are gathered on loan from many other museums or collectors also may be scheduled for exhibition at one museum as a solo show. Planning for the exhibitions is a long process. Museums schedule their exhibitions for a given year well in advance and their negotiations may begin years before the shows are held.
Some artists create a large number of works that they reserve as a traveling exhibition that generates income for them, such as sculptor Jim Gary
, whose Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs traveled around the world for decades as a solo show at museums, universities, and botanical gardens. Typically, the contract arrangements for booking such a large exhibition are that the hosting organization pays a fee to the artist, arranges for the safe delivery and set up of the exhibition, and charges admission to those attracted to the exhibition by extensive publicity generated by the host and approved by the artist.
The term "one-man show" was used at times to describe these art exhibitions, but has fallen out of favor, even though the term "one-man show" persists to describe a solo performance
among some entertainment
venues and performing arts
.
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
of the work of only one artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. The artwork may be painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
s, etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
s, collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, or photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. The creator of any artistic technique may be the subject of a solo show. Other skills and crafts have similar types of shows for the creators. Having solo shows of one's artwork marks the achievement of success and usually is accompanied by receptions and a great deal of publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
. The show may be of current work being produced, those from a single time period, or representative work from different periods in the career of the artist, the later is termed a retrospective.
History
Art exhibitions have a history that dates back to 1623. It is thought the first "one man show" in Britain was staged by Joseph Wright of DerbyJoseph Wright of Derby
Joseph Wright , styled Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution"....
in 1785, the year after he refused to become a Royal Acadamician
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
Art Galleries became numerous in large cities during the nineteenth century and flourished during the twentieth century, often becoming included among stores
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
in small towns as well, after the middle of the twentieth century.
Generally, as artists begin to show their work they are accepted by commercial gallery owners for display among the works of many or among others who work in the same area. The works of the artists are sold and the galleries take commissions. As artists gain stature and attract a following who will purchase their works in greater numbers, gallery owners will promote their works in solo shows with a great deal of publicity about the show. The artists with the greatest appeal to a gallery's clients may be invited to be represented by that gallery consistently, developing a constant relationship that even may develop into exclusive rights to offer the sale of the works by those artists.
Once artists become recognized for their skills among critics and collectors through representation at galleries, museum directors and staff members may begin to purchase the works of the artists for museum collections. Museums also hold exhibitions that change regularly and may chose to feature a solo show of the works of an artist as one of these exhibitions. Works that are gathered on loan from many other museums or collectors also may be scheduled for exhibition at one museum as a solo show. Planning for the exhibitions is a long process. Museums schedule their exhibitions for a given year well in advance and their negotiations may begin years before the shows are held.
Some artists create a large number of works that they reserve as a traveling exhibition that generates income for them, such as sculptor Jim Gary
Jim Gary
Jim Gary was an American sculptor popularly known for his large, colorful creations of dinosaurs made from discarded automobile parts...
, whose Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs traveled around the world for decades as a solo show at museums, universities, and botanical gardens. Typically, the contract arrangements for booking such a large exhibition are that the hosting organization pays a fee to the artist, arranges for the safe delivery and set up of the exhibition, and charges admission to those attracted to the exhibition by extensive publicity generated by the host and approved by the artist.
The term "one-man show" was used at times to describe these art exhibitions, but has fallen out of favor, even though the term "one-man show" persists to describe a solo performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
among some entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
venues and performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
.
Further reading
- The Artist's Marketing and Action Plan Workbook, Jonathan Talbot with Geoffrey Howard, Revised Fifth Edition published by Jonathan TalbotJonathan TalbotJonathan Talbot, is an American collage artist, painter, and printmaker. He also is the creator of an innovative collage technique that eliminates liquid adhesives from the collage assembly process...
, Warwick, New York, 2005 – ISBN 0-9701681-3-6