Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Couturier.
Hi Catherine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My first job in the gallery business also became my last. Just out of college, I was hired to work at John Cleary Gallery, Houston’s only gallery specializing in fine art photography. My background in photography consisted of one history of photography class in college and a fairly disastrous darkroom class at Parson’s in Paris where my lack of skill and passion (I had to have studio art classes for my major) culminated in being shunned to a broken enlarger in the corner, far away from the, I’m sure, quite serious art being made by my classmates. I started working for John in December of 1999, and here I still sit today, albeit after a change or two.
I helped John run his gallery for 8 1/2 years. One day, my 16 month old son on my hip (because why just work full time when you can work full time with a full time baby), I walked into work and John said, “We need to talk. It’s not diabetes, it’s pancreatic cancer. I’m going to be dead in a month. You need to figure out what we’re doing with this gallery.” Stunned, I asked, “What?” He said, “I don’t want to talk about it. You’re smart. Figure it out.”
And figure it out, I guess, I did. John realized a hole would be left in the Houston arts community if the gallery were to close, not to mention the loss to our artists, and I was the only person who could keep it running. A gallery is a business of relationships, so it isn’t really saleable. I had the relationships with the artists and collectors. John couldn’t pass that along, not to mention his reputation, to someone he didn’t know or didn’t trust. And while I did have to pay for the business, it was a pittance compared to the value of what John had built.
I was 30, still with a baby on my hip, and thought I knew how to run a gallery. After all, I’d been running one for 8 1/2 years, hadn’t I? John would always respond, if someone asked to speak to the owner, “Do you want to talk to the owner or the person who knows what’s going on?” I used to say that the only things John did were answer the phone and pay the bills. How was I supposed to know that was the hardest part?
The economy completely crashed that year, and I immediately realized all the things I didn’t know about running a business. That list was long, and a lot longer than the list of things I knew. I made a lot of mistakes over the next few years, but my artists and my collectors stuck with me while I figured it out. The number one thing I always did, no matter how terrible things were, was go to work. I didn’t waste time feeling sorry for myself or twiddling my thumbs. I worked every day, no matter how bleak the times, until they weren’t bleak anymore.
The gallery business is never going to be consistent or reliable, but as it’s consistently unreliable, I’ve learned in the last 17 years how to ride the ups and the downs. I always tell people I didn’t sleep for the first 3 years of owning a business, and that’s no exaggeration. I would wake up panicked about this thing or that, constantly worried about the inevitable doom headed my way. I actually have a fantastic photograph by Sally Mann in my office from her At Twelve series called “Ianna and Doom” because it really is how the entire art business feels at times. It makes me laugh.
Sometimes I can’t believe I’ve owned the gallery this long, and sometimes it feels like I’ve owned it my entire life. All I know for sure is that I have the best job in the world, filled with art and culture and travel and the greatest people. And just as I said a gallery is all about relationships, I want to make sure that no one ever thinks I have kept this gallery growing on my own. Without my employees, artists, and collectors (and a handful of collectors did more for me than they’ll ever know. Never doubt the impact you have when you support a small business!), I would have been closed before I even opened. I say it a lot online, but I really do have the absolute best friends.
I also have to send a special shout-out to AIPAD (Association of International Photography Art Dealers). This incredible group of fine art photography dealers from around the globe have helped and supported me every step of the way. Community is so important to have in this life, and the art world can be very solitary if you’re not lucky. I’ve been very, very lucky.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hahahahahahahahahaha. Smooth? Never for a minute! The biggest struggle in any small business is always the same: money. Bills come in whether sales do or not. Learning to balance cash flow is a constant struggle. I made a lot of stupid mistakes at the beginning as well, but I learned from them, so they ultimately had an upside. It’s always been worth the struggle!
We’ve been impressed with Catherine Couturier Gallery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own Houston’s premier fine art photography gallery, Catherine Couturier Gallery. We specialize in both contemporary and vintage works by some of the best artists in the world. Originally John Cleary Gallery, the gallery began in 1996, I was hired in 1999, I became the owner in 2008, and the gallery changed to my name in 2012. I don’t have a good “established by” date at all, and I’ve been pondering whether or not I should have a 30 year celebration next year! I think I’m most proud of staying open all this time because the gallery business is really tough with a very low success rate, but I’m also so proud when I see the incredible careers so many of my artists have had. Artists go nowhere without first making great art, but I’m very proud to have had a hand in guiding and helping them on their way to the top.
I do so many things within the fine art photography world. I sell photographs. I buy. I run collections. I help get my artists into major museums. I give lectures to artists and collectors alike, and I do portfolio reviews to help artists as often as I can. I sit on boards and committees of various arts institutions as well. I even write forwards for art books. If it has to do with the fine art photography world, I do it! But my favorite part is and always will be showing fine art photography by the best photographers and selling it to the best collectors.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
A lot of people in the art world are panicked about AI, but I don’t think anything major will change on the gallery side. There’s a big difference between people who buy art as a commodity and people who buy art because they love it. Real collectors don’t collect for money or to fill a hole on the wall of their home. They collect because they have to. They need it. They need the hunt and the discovery. Art makes everyone’s life better, and everyone should have it on their walls, but collectors don’t buy for walls; they buy to store in flat files and under beds. And as long as collectors exist, and collectors exist in all aspects of society, I think art galleries will exist. Something is lost when viewing art online, although we all do it. Sometimes you really want to experience it, see it in all its three dimensional glory. After all, that’s how you’ll live with it once it’s yours. People will always need a space to see art, and as the digital world gets wider and wider, I think there will be even more need for people who can cut out the junk and the noise and show you the very best of what’s being made. And that will always be art dealers.
Pricing:
- We have art for every budget and offer payment plans. We want people who love art to have the art they love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.CatherineCouturier.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinecouturiergallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatherineCouturierGallery/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/catherine-couturier-gallery/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@catherinecouturiergaller
Image Credits
Please credit:
Light 42 Studio, Catherine Couturier Gallery, Zan Zeller, and Laura Burlton
