gallerist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of gallerist
First recorded in 1965–70; galler(y) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )
Explanation
A person who owns or runs an art gallery can be called a gallerist. If you love the idea of buying and selling paintings and sculptures, being a gallerist might be your dream job. Gallerist, a relatively new word that was coined from gallery, is preferred by some in the art world to the older term art dealer. A gallerist handles the business side of art, representing specific artists by showing their work in a gallery and selling it to collectors, museums, and art enthusiasts. Many gallerists have college degrees in art history and a lifelong appreciation for art.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sitting next to miniature mock-ups of the exhibitions, Opie noted that her longtime gallerist, Shaun Caley Regen, has christened this the “Catherine Opie World Tour 2026,” complete with T-shirts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
“You don’t see them walking around, and stopping in a gallery, and buying art, and trying to cultivate connoisseurship with their siblings or their children,” said Valerie Wade, a San Francisco gallerist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
The gallerist agreed to uncover the artwork, revealing to the bride-to-be a painting that depicted them in that very moment.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
With all the difficulties that accompany being a gallerist these days, Ms. Cedar proves that it’s most rewarding to be a happy warrior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
Sometimes her husband, the gallerist Tom Jimmerson, will come home at the end of the day and be puzzled — the canvas Yamaguchi was working on that morning doesn’t appear all that different.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
