Investigating the Role of Local Ties in the Managerial Practices of Danish Art Galleries

Abstract

Starting from a theoretical framing of the contemporary art system and the artworld’s globalization, an analysis of Danish art galleries will be carried out to investigate the role that the local art scene plays in their managerial strategies. Drawing on quantitative research, the thesis will take into consideration the nationality and country of residence of contemporary artists represented by galleries in Denmark. The results will show that local ties seem to be predominant within the modus operandi of Danish galleries. Then, relying on qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews and using as means of interpretation diffused models from the literature, the analysis will try to shed light on the interplay between local and global forces within the management of galleries. More precisely, a cultural affinities model will start the discussion attempting to explain why a home bias exists in Danish galleries and presenting a series of factors that contribute to further increasing its prevalence such as CHART Art Fair, the Royal Danish Academy, Scandinavian design, the reflective character of Danish society, the Covid pandemic and State funds. Subsequently, through Velthuis’ six barriers to globalization, the implications of the prevailing role of local ties will be presented to see how it translates into the galleries’ managerial practices. Through examining the case of Danish galleries, we learn that local ties prevail in a country of the semi-periphery of the artworld. This is due not only to core-periphery dynamics, cultural affinities, or barriers to globalization present in the nature of the gallery’s managerial practices, as proposed by the literature, but also to other factors such as the specificities of the local society and its institutions including fairs or academies, the consequences of the Covid pandemic, the State funding system, language barriers, and an active concern for sustainability issues.