After six years, Houston’s DARKE Gallery is closing its doors. Adding the announcement at the end of a press release for its upcoming and final gallery exhibition, owner Linda Darke states the personal decision to “focus on getting healthy for the next year or so.” Although she plans to continue promoting gallery artists (Hillerbrand+Magsamen, Kia Neill, Lovie Oliva, and Emily Sloan, among others), Darke also comments on the current challenges of smaller, physical gallery spaces:
In the last two years, 60% of our sales were made online or at art fairs. Art galleries, like other retailers, can no longer depend on foot traffic to find collectors. Art fairs and auctions are competing directly with commercial galleries.
Darke simply states that she needs “some time off and a little privacy,” but it doesn’t sound like she’ll disappear. She adds, “It is an exciting time in the art world and I look forward to planning my comeback.”
4 comments
Say it isn’t so!!
Linda and Don, I hope I will see you at Looking at Art or Book Clubs or something….maybe even in NYC..xxoo
We will miss you Linda! Thanks for being there for Houston artists!
Since I came to the East Side you must have lost hope. We may renew our hope when you reopen…(in my path)
-bobby99