Philadelphia Conference 2019

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
November 7-9, 2019

9701 / B1 / T-form / SOS… help needed!

Abilities and knowledge required as an art gallery registrar

by Martha Reta

Head Registrar, kurimanzutto

Mexico City / New York

Hello, my name is Martha and I am a workaholic and a perfectionist…

It is hard to accept, without making fun of it, that I am one, and maybe

many of you also are. Sometimes we use these terms lightly and once in a

while they are seen as a badge of honour in our workplace. Being a

workaholic is not only about spending extra hours during an installation of

a show, it is loosing track of time constantly doing work-related activities.

Being a perfectionist is not only wanting to meet high standards or

improving our performance by accomplishing more in less time. It is a

complex disorder that includes for example, being “unable to delegate

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tasks to others for fear of being disappointed by a less-than-perfect

performance in the job”.

Both are serious social problems that lead to anxiety, stress, feelings of

anger, and depression, to mention just a few.

And yet, impeccable attention to detail, working under pressure, time

management, problem solving, decision making, and being diplomatic and

tactic, among others, are abilities required for most of the registrars. Not to

mention, the multiple skills and knowledge we have to have for handling

our job.

We cannot get rid of all of this, since we are born with our abilities and we

learn skills. But I found (and I am not reinventing the wheel) that the super

power ability of a registrar is being able to have work-life balance with

emotional agility and resilience.

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And why should a registrar need the ability of being aware of its emotions

as well as adapt them to the needs of others? Simply, because we not only

work surrounded by art (or what ever kind of collection you are managing)

but also, by people.

I worked for nine years in a museum with a collection of sacred works of

art, mostly from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century, and last month

was my eighth anniversary in a contemporary art gallery.

Making a jump of 300 years was not the most important difference for me,

the cultural agents involved in the daily activities of a gallery define the

rhythm of the work. In my experience, our job is more dynamic,

accelerated; it is all about time and teamwork. I compare our workflow to

the mechanism of a clock, where the registrar is a very important

cogwheel, but also as Santa’s workshop, because our work answers to the

petition of others. Is like receiving letters from the kids all around the world,

every hour, two weeks before Christmas.

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If an elf fails in his work, it can delay the entire project; my job is to have

control of both lists, the nice and the naughty, and to have the presents

delivered on time and in perfect condition to all of them.

Of course, the registrar’s work in a gallery is more complicated than

working in the North Pole, because it is not an assembly-line production.

We work with many processes at the same time, so yes, multitasking can

also be seeing as an ability we should have. But it is overwhelming having

to multitask with perfect attention to detail and keep meeting deadlines.

In a simplified way, this is the workflow in kurimanzutto:

We exist because and for the ARTISTS and their vision of the world.

Developing their careers, in a unique environment, is one of our principles.

All projects are discussed between them and the OWNERS OF THE

GALLERY, José Kuri and Mónica Manzutto, and they decide the works

that will be part of our inventory.

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The production of the works are made by the artist, of course, but also with

the help of their own STUDIOS (when they have them) and/or the

PRODUCTION team of the gallery.

When the works are ready or still under production, I make their entries in

our database, coordinate their physical arrival to the gallery or our

warehouses, check their condition and appropriate packaging.

The work needs a caption and a good image for the COMMUNICATION

area and the SALES TEAM so that they can continue doing their own job;

just like a Santa’s elf, if I get stuck in this process I can delay the whole

project.

As I mentioned before, the fast pace gallery rhythm leaves no doubt, that

the only constant here is change.

Most of the works are to be shipped to different places and for different

reasons: EXHIBITIONS (in house and for other galleries, museums or

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cultural institutions), ART FAIRS, BIENNIALS, and once sold, to their

COLLECTORS (private and institutional).

There are many differences between a gallery and a museum, and we can

spend hours just talking about them, it is not just about the kind of

collections we manage but also our procedures. I am convinced that one

of the most important differences, is that the galleries are immerse in the

art market; and due to these constant financial transactions, the legal and

ADMINISTRATIVE departments demand from the registrars a lot of

documentation.

The artist is the most important piece on the chess board. My job is to take

care of his needs in every one of his games. And now imagine having to

play with 33 at the same time.

I really miss the meticulous exhibition planning that generally exists in the

museums, with months or even years in advance; or the amount of time

you can take to make a perfect entry of an object, with all the information
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related to it; sometimes, I feel nostalgic about the simplicity of working with

objects from dead artists.

In a contemporary art gallery we have the privilege of dialogue with living

artists (some of them more complicated than others), but their multiple

international commitments and the duration of their personal creative

process, produces a timing issue on the planning. Sometimes the

exhibition is finished too close to the opening; I constantly have to deal

with express shipments, either finished works or materials, from overseas,

or, for example, order the production of 25 new frames four days before a

collectors preview.

To keep track and control of our artists’ projects, we work with several

electronic tools so, besides the need of basic computer knowledge, a

registrar ability to learn new technologies and software is a must.

All the staff at the gallery must be able to stay in constant communication,

teamwork is essential for our growth, that is why we implement electronic

tools that can be accessed remotely from any place:

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From our two gallery spaces: in Mexico City and New York

The principal warehouses: in Mexico, Berlin and New York

While working abroad: at the fairs, at exhibition venues or biennials

Or when working from home…

I do not have the time to go into detail regarding these tools, for now, I will

mention them briefly:

A local server with personal and shared folders containing all the gallery

information, with individual access through an internal network or VPN if

you are out of range.

Our database system (we use ArtBase) that can be accessed locally,

remotely, or offline in mobile devices.

Monday: the online platform that manages all the tasks to be performed by

all staff members, displayed through virtual interconnected boards. Here

we have the one for sold works, with the specific tasks and responsible
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person; here an example of part of the ongoing loans; or one specific for

the Operations team, with pending matters such as production, restoration

or inventory related.

Also, we work with other on-the-go solutions for specific areas, that

automatically sync to mobile devices and desktop computers, like

Articheck for those of us who make condition reports, and Artbinder (for

the sales team).

And, of course, even though sometimes it’s a nuisance, our whatsapp

group that keeps us all in the loop, and yes… we also share MEMES.

Nowadays, phone calls, emails and software like word or excel, are not the

only resources we can use to meet our goals as registrars. Of course, I am

not saying that the ones we use at kurimanzutto are the most adequate for

all. But if we can find more and new electronic tools that help us improve

our abilities, do not hesitate to share them!

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*We have just heard about blockchain technology and other sessions will

be addressing the subject, so thank you for your help.

As you track the gallery projects on Monday, you can see that in our

workflow, the registrar has various assignments to accomplish (sometimes

very specific ones, and sometimes many of them at the same time).

Needless to say, the role of a registrar is not set in stone, and that is why

we are here today keeping the dialogue open! And although we have

great texts about our profession and job description, I still have more

questions in mind.

What credentials do you need, to be hired as a registrar? Does it depend

on the collection? or the activities? What knowledge do you look for in a

registrar? A historian? An art historian? A conservator? A museologist? A

degree in cultural heritage? Arts and cultural administration? Or why not,

someone with studies in International Trade?

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Even though, our activities can slightly change if you work in a gallery, a

museum, a private collection or other cultural institution, I believe that the

essentials of our work can be sommarised in three questions:

1. What do we have?

2. How are the works that we safeguard?

3. Where are they located?

The WHAT could be the question that, sometimes, defines the kind of

specialty needed: I cannot imagine myself applying for a registrar position

in a museum with paleontological, botanical or archeological collections, in

spite of that, I am a viceroyal art historian and museologist working in a

contemporary art gallery; so, is this about academic knowledge or having

the abilities and skills to keep learning more about our job.

Being super conservative, the registrar should be able to have a perfect

database, spend hours filling the entries with as much information of the

object as possible, making detailed descriptions and following rigid

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methods and established forms to have full control of the collection. In a

gallery, the super dynamic workflow and non-stop rush, where everything

is urgent, makes this an unreachable dream if there is only one person in

charge.

First of all, you need to squeeze the caption from the artist some way or

another. For the upcoming exhibitions with works still on production, I’ve

had to add records that say nothing: Untitled, 2019, mixed media, variable

dimensions; so you can imagine my frustration.

The description of the object, the iconography of a painting, the scientific

name of a specimen, in a contemporary art gallery is translated into the

artist’s statement.

When you want to complete the “medium”, “dimensions” or “category”

fields, you have to respect the information that the artist is providing you,

that most of the times responds to their own concepts. If you check my

entries, you will probably find inconsistencies.

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Some of them love to specify the objects used, while others just the raw

material, or information that is super vague, confusing and scary!

Some works are measured by their weight and sometimes, the density in a

fabric makes the piece, a sculpture.

So, the registration of what we have at the gallery is a daily adventure.

Regarding the question of HOW are the works that we safeguard, it is a

complex subject that sometimes can be an anguish due to the materials

used by some artists and represent a true challenge for the conservators.

In general, the registrars from art galleries are in charge of this as part of

their job. But, although we need to have knowledge in conservation,

sometimes we required extra help from specialists.

In fact, last June the Getty Conservation Institute, organized the

Simposium called “Living Matter. The Preservation of Biological Materials

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Used in Contemporary Art” that discussed the implications and challenges

(conceptual, ethical and practical) associated with collecting, displaying,

and preserving contemporary works that include biological materials. 

The publication of the sessions from this Simposium is in process and we

are working on a possible Spanish edition.

But in a gallery, and of course in other collections, the organic materials do

not represent the only problem.

We have to deal with installations made by found or used objects, or

fragile materials just to mention a few.

When we receive new works from the artists, we assume that they are

delivered in their original state and in good condition. They look perfect at

the opening of a show, but what happens when you have to talk about its

condition four months later and the snazzy collector that bought it, request

from the registrar the condition report and care instructions?

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When this kind of works are new productions, the registrar needs to have

the ability to decipher and to be flexible to determine if they are in good

condition and how do they need to be handled or packed; if that loose part,

that particular stain, the dirt on it, the oxidation, the scratches, insect

damage, the bumps, are inherent to the work or if they are actual damages

that we need to report.

Contemporary art can be a headache for the insurance companies. When

something happens, for whatever reason, all the agents involved, like

artist, gallery, conservators, registrars, curators or collectors… need to

have a dialogue about the future of the work and make decisions about

how this should be solved.

Does the damage that we report affect the concept of the work? Maybe

you just need to keep it that way (I know this can be an issue for the

conservation staff); Can new objects replace the damaged ones? Should it

be produced again instead of restored? Can the artist call it a total loss
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and the collector just have to deal with the insurance claim? Not to

mention the cliché of the artwork that someone though it was garbage and

threw it away.

Apart from conservation knowledge, the registrar in an art galley needs to

have the ability to discern among possible options, to solve problems, to

work under pressure and must have the ability to be polite and tactical

when you have to deal with upset and annoyed people.

Multitasking can drive us crazy; you can find yourself dealing with all the

activities on the same day. You are told that everything is urgent and

sometimes you do not know where to begin or which aspect requires the

most attention.

Finally, we have the WHERE question, that involves the storages, and

shipments to fairs, exhibitions, or collectors.

I once heard that people hoard because they believe that an item will be

useful or valuable in the future. I really respect our artists and their work,
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but one of the most important problems I had with the works of art in

general is that they are hard to throw away, because it is art, right?

A lot of museums have a close collection, and their registrars work with a

finite fainait number of objects; other institutions have acquisition programs

and have more control on the income of pieces.

We mostly deal with primary market, with artists that are more productive

than others, and although the art market has grown into a global industry

and kurimanzutto with it; overall, the gallery receives more works than

what it sells in a year. The continuos reception of works puts us in a

complicate situation regarding the storage.

Today, the gallery owns three private warehouses in Mexico City and the

majority of the pieces are stored there but, we are, drastically, running out

of space. More scary is the fact that in Mexico the supply of vendors that

offer storage services is practically null. I’ve discussed this subject with

many colleagues from museums and galleries, and we all suffer from the

same ailment.
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Since we have another gallery in New York we had to outsource storage

services in the East Coast; but we don’t have as many works stored there

as we do at the warehouse in Berlin. Why Berlin? Because we represent

19 European artists, 6 who live and work in that German city. Due to the

growth of the Asian market, now we also have to store some pieces in

Hong Kong.

*Unfortunately I have missed the session of “Fine Art storage” that was just

presented in the other room, but I won't miss the one about “Off Site

Storage: build or rent” because kurimanzutto is in the middle of making

that decision.

The relationship with my vendors is crucial for my job. I don’t really know if

my colleagues from other art galleries do the same, but at least for me, it is

my job to find and keep a professional alliance with shippers in different

countries from America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. I have to contact both

shippers and oversee the whole operation.

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Unfortunately, I cannot be in different places at the same time; if, for

example, I have to coordinate the shipments for an art fair from multiple

countries, my vendors are my eyes; I have to trust them when a condition

report is needed, when they have to handle the works for a photoshoot, or

when I ask for a special crating, and I am not there to supervise everything

myself and don't have control of our collection as I do in my own city.

*I’m looking forward to attending the session “Two Peas in a crate:

Crossover between Museum Registration and Fine Art Shipping”

Being involved with the shipments at the gallery is not just about moving

the works from one place to another, or knowing the restrictions of the

materials, or getting CITES permits. My job entails a huge responsibility

that is directly linked to the finances of the gallery, the artists and the

collectors.

And here is when I really panic.

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In general, museums work with temporary loans when moving their

collections within their country or abroad. By being temporary, the export

and import of the pieces is greatly simplified. For better or worst, we are

not only part of this exhibition world; we are fully immersed in the art

market ocean and its waters are sometimes intimidating.

Kurimanzutto does business from New York and from Mexico, each one

with its own legal and fiscal requirements. When a work is sold, it sets in

motion one of the gallery processes, in which the registrar (in this case,

me) is one of the cogwheels of the Administrative mechanism.

No one really enjoys dealing with taxes and customs; and being honest, I

never though this was going to be part of my job when I studied art history

in college, nor imagine the fact that this must be a knowledge requirement

when applying for a position as an art gallery registrar.

The international shipment of artworks for commercial reasons

complicates our job regarding the definite import and export of goods. Not
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in terms of logistics, but, as I said before, due to legal and financial

consequences.

I need to be able to provide accurate information to the clients regarding

the proper import taxes they have to pay in their country of residence, or

where the final destination of the work will be.

Depending on the country of origin, I need to advice the sales team if a

work is subject to sales tax or import tax, if it is in free circulation, on

Customs bonded warehouse or free port.

Mexican and US correspondent tax and customs authorities ask the

gallery for multiple documentation regarding the shipments, to correlate

information with the accounting books and the declarations presented, and

that, is my responsibility.

Our European artists ask the gallery for the proper export documentation

so they can present it to their own accountants, and that, is also my

responsibility.
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Not to mention that I have to present to my own accounting department a

huge pile of detailed documents of each project that involves a shipment.

I do need help in terms of Customs; I need to fully understand the intricate

system of what happens once a work is pick up and before it is delivered. I

need to learn customs language. Although I mentioned that the shippers

are our best allies, during an accounting revision, we realized that they

made some mistakes while filling our documents, for example, changing a

Harmonized System Code.

Now, I understand that knowing what 9701 means is relevant information

for an art gallery registrar; that if you ask your European shipper for a

definitive export on commission, is proof enough for, at least, our artist’s

accountant, but if it is not sold, allows you to return the work into the

European Union without paying import taxes.

If you ask for a temporary export, they expect the work to return, not taking

into consideration that when we ship it, we still don't know where it will

end.
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When I arrived at the gallery 8 years ago, coming from a museum with

viceroyal collection, I didn’t know that you can transport works by a

Mexican artist, produced in Australia, and keep them stored in London

(without paying taxes) if they are on bond; and once you clear customs,

they are in European Union free circulation. Well… now with the Brexit we

are waiting for the new regulations regarding the import and export of

goods.

While studying museology and taking conservation courses, I never

expected to know that during the art fairs in China and in the case of a

sale, the paintings and sculptures pays 17.16% except if they arrive from

the US, if so, a 10% extra should be paid.

Now I know, that the art market in Brazil is difficult due to the high amount

of import taxes to be paid, or that customs procedures in China take a long

time because all the works and their content need to pass censorship.

Unfortunately, I do not have the time to talk about customs in Mexico, that

will take me a whole new session.

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November 7-9, 2019

What I am trying to say is that, in our profession, we learn something

everyday, we learn from our colleagues, we learn from our vendors, we

learn from our daily experiences and it is ok to ask for help, because we

don't not know and cannot know everything.

I am fortunate to have colleagues, friends or just people involved in the art

world that not only have asked for help but also have given it.

So, I hope this Conference contributes to expand the connections between

us, so we can be there for each other when help is needed.