gallerist

American  

[gal-uh-rist] / ˈgæl ə rɪst /

noun

1. the owner of an art gallery.

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gallerist British  

/ ˈɡæləˌrɪst /

noun

1. a person who owns or runs an art gallery

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Etymology

Origin of gallerist

First recorded in 1965–70; galler(y) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

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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

See Examples For:

gallerist

Honoree Vija Celmins and her gallerist Matthew Marks pose together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026

Cook was a bookseller, photographer and gallerist, and at one point we hear Oliver recall the rhythms of their home life, her partner printing pictures while she wrote poems at the kitchen table.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

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

For weeks now, the former gallerist has been spending part of her days "revisiting my life" through old photo albums, smiling about everything she "had the chance to experience".

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

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