Art galleries are essential to the art world, however, is not the only source for audiences to view art. To begin with, art and artwork is defined as the application of human skill, creativity and imagination. Taking this into consideration, individuals need to examine the nature and purpose of art galleries as a facility to collaborate, organize and display a collection of artworks. As art however, is any expression of human creativity, its presence is not bound to art galleries and is evidently present in the world around us be it in photographs, the internet or even in graffiti.
To determine the extent audiences need art galleries to view art, the purpose of galleries and the artworks present in galleries must be examined. The main purpose of an art gallery is to acquire, display and preserve artworks for audiences to examine and view. In saying this, it places a large emphasis on the role of art galleries for audiences as it aims to provide a facility in which audiences may view art justifying their importance. Breaking down the concept of art galleries however is important. One must examine the types of galleries and the types of work they hold in order to understand the types of artworks they can provide for an audience and in a sense, show their importance to the art culture and to the audience itself.
The first type of art gallery to consider are private galleries. Often run by local or “smaller named” artists who set up a space to exhibit their works. These are needed by audiences as it allows them to view a snapshot of local, contemporary works. By presenting examples of the kind of works inspired by the community and local area, it provides a deeper sense of the art culture present in the community.
Another type of art gallery are government run art galleries such as the Art Gallery of Western Australia. This type of galleries displays a range of national and international