8651.0 - Commercial Art Galleries, Australia, 1999-2000  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/08/2001   
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS


INTRODUCTION

This publication presents results, in respect of the 1999-2000 financial year, from an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey of commercial art gallery businesses (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres). The survey did not include sales of artworks by businesses such as art museums, department stores and market stalls. Users should take care in comparing the 1999-2000 results with the results of the 1996-97 survey as the 1999-2000 survey had a wider coverage, especially in regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres.

Number of commercial art galleries and art centres

At the end of June 2000, there were 514 commercial art gallery businesses operating in Australia, comprising 31 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres and 483 other commercial art galleries. These 514 businesses operated from 573 locations. A total of 417 businesses, (81%) reported that they represented artists on an ongoing basis.

Sources of income

The total income of commercial art gallery businesses in 1999-2000 was $132 million.

Commission income from the sale of artworks (selling artworks on behalf of others) was $43 million (33% of total income). Income from the sale of artworks owned by the commercial art gallery businesses was $73 million or 55% of the total income.

Items of expenditure

Commercial art gallery businesses had total expenses during 1999-2000 of $122 million.

The most significant expense for these businesses was the purchase of artworks for re-sale at $44 million (36% of total expenses). Wages and salaries were $22 million (18% of total expenses).

Profitability

In 1999-2000, the commercial art gallery industry recorded an operating profit before tax of $9 million, which represented an operating profit margin of 7.0%.

Employment

At the end of June 2000, there were 1,409 persons employed by commercial art gallery businesses. Females accounted for 61% (857) of persons working in commercial art gallery businesses.


TABLE 2 KEY FIGURES


1996-1997
1999-2000
Percentage change

Businesses at end June
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres(a)
no.
na
31
-
Other commercial art galleries
no.
na
483
-
Total
no.
457
514
12.5
Locations/outlets
no.
na
573
-
Commercial art galleries/art centres representing artists on an on-going basis at end June
no.
415
417
0.5
Artists represented on an on-going basis at end June (b)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists
no.
na
5,681
-
Other Australian artists
no.
na
11,268
-
Total
no.
17,366
16,949
-2.4
Employment at end June
Males
no.
434
552
27.2
Females
no.
721
857
18.9
Total
no.
1,156
1,409
21.9
Income
Commission income from the sale of artworks
$m
25.7
43.4
68.9
Income from the sale of artworks owned by
the business
$m
49.5
72.7
46.9
Other income
$m
12.1
15.6
28.9
Total
$m
87.3
131.8
51.0
Cost of artworks sold
Purchases of artworks for resale
$m
30.2
44.4
47.0
Plus opening inventories of artworks
$m
28.0
33.1
18.2
Less closing inventories of artworks
$m
25.5
32.2
26.3
Total
$m
32.7
45.3
38.5
Other expenses
Wages and salaries
$m
11.3
22.0
94.7
Other
$m
40.4
55.7
37.9
Total
$m
51.7
77.7
50.3
Operating profit before tax
$m
**2.5
*8.8
. .
Operating profit margin
%
**3.5
*7.0
. .

na not available
. . not applicable
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
* estimate has a relative standard error of between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution
** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered to unreliable for general use
(a) Excludes all businesses whose main activity is other than that of commercial art gallery. For example, businesses which sourced their main income from craft sales were excluded from the survey. In addition, of the 514 commercial art gallery businesses within the scope of the survey (see Explanatory Notes, paragraphs 2-4), only 31 self-identified the main activity of their businesses as being an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centre. There were other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres in the survey, but these businesses have self-identified their main business as being 'other commercial art galleries'. Therefore use of the estimates by the type of business should be undertaken with these scope and classification restrictions in mind.
(b) Artists can be represented on an ongoing basis by more than one gallery, therefore these figures do not represent the number of artists operating in Australia at the end of June 2000.
Copyright ã Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001


EXPLANATORY NOTES


INTRODUCTION

1 This publication presents results, in respect of the 1999-2000 financial year, from an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey of businesses in the commercial art gallery industry.


SCOPE

2 The scope of the survey was all commercial art galleries including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres operating in Australia during 1999-2000. For the purposes of this survey a commercial art gallery was defined as a business whose primary activity is the display and sale of artworks. In terms of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), commercial art gallery businesses are part of Class 5259 - Retailing n.e.c.

3 The publication covers only a portion of all sales of artworks. The survey did not cover businesses involved in the sale of artworks as a secondary activity, (i.e. where the sale of artworks was not the main activity of the business). The following forms of sales were excluded from the scope of the survey:
  • direct sales by artist
  • sales through auction houses
  • sales by art museums
  • sales by department stores, craft stores etc.
  • market stalls involved in the display and sale of artworks

4 There is no single comprehensive list of commercial art galleries in Australia. To identify potential providers, a list was compiled from various sources:
  • Telstra yellow pages directory
  • The Commercial Art Galleries Association
  • Art Almanac
  • The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Visual Arts and Crafts Resources Directory 1998


STATISTICAL UNIT

5 The unit for which statistics were reported in the survey was the management unit. The management unit is the highest-level accounting unit within a business or organisation, having regard for industry homogeneity, for which accounts are maintained. In nearly all cases it coincides with the legal entity owning the business (i.e. company, partnership, trust, sole operator, etc.). In the case of large diversified businesses, however, there may be more than one management unit, each coinciding with a 'division' or 'line of business'. A division or line of business is recognised where separate and comprehensive accounts are compiled for it.


REFERENCE PERIOD

6 Data contained in the tables in this publication relate to all art gallery businesses, within the survey scope (see paragraphs 2-3), which operated in Australia at any time during the year ended 30 June 2000. Counts of businesses include only those that were operating at 30 June 2000.


BUSINESSES CEASED DURING THE YEAR

7 A small number of businesses ceased operations during the 1999-2000 reference period. As is normal ABS procedure, the contributions of these organisations were included in the survey output.


RELIABILITY OF DATA

8 Since the estimates in this publication include information obtained from a sample drawn from units in the survey population, the estimates are subject to sampling variability, that is, they may differ from figures that would have been obtained if all units had been included in the survey. One measure of the likely difference is given by the standard error (SE), which indicates the extent to which an estimate might have varied by chance because only a sample of units was included.

9 There are about 2 chances in 3 that a sample estimate will differ by less than one SE from the figure that would have been obtained if a census had been conducted, and approximately 19 chances in 20 that the difference will be less than two SEs.

10 Sampling variability can be measured by the relative standard error (RSE) which is obtained by expressing the standard error as a percentage of the estimate to which it refers. The RSE is a useful measure in that it provides an immediate indication of the percentage errors likely to have occurred due to sampling, and this avoids the need to refer also to the size of the estimate.

11 The following table contains estimates of RSEs for a selection of the statistics presented in this publication.


RELATIVE STANDARD ERRORS FOR TABLE 2, KEY FIGURES

RSE

Businesses at end June
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres
3
Other commercial art galleries
7
Total
6
Locations/outlets
7
Commercial art galleries/art centres representing artists on an on-going basis at end June 2000
7
Artists represented on an on-going basis at end June 2000
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists
14
Other Australian artists
14
Total
10
Employment at end June 2000
Males
12
Females
8
Total
9
Income
Commission income from the sale of artworks
10
Income from the sale of artworks owned by the business
13
Other income
17
Total
9
Cost of artworks sold
Purchases of artworks for resale
12
Plus opening inventories of artworks
11
Less closing inventories of artworks
10
Total
13
Other Expenses
Wages and salaries
10
Other
10
Total
9
Operating profit before tax
27
Operating profit margin
26

Copyright ã Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001


12 As an example of the above, an estimate of the number of art gallery businesses at the end of June 2000 is 514 and the RSE is 6%, giving a standard error of 31 businesses. Therefore there would be two chances in three that, if all units had been included in the survey, a figure in the range of 483 to 545 would have been obtained, and 19 chances in 20 that the figure would have been within the range of 452 to 576 (a confidence interval of 95%).

13 Where the RSE of an estimate included in this publication exceeds 25%, it has been annotated with an asterisk (*) as a warning to users. Where the RSE of an estimate exceeds 50%, it has been annotated with a double asterisk (**).

14 Errors other than those due to sampling may occur because of deficiencies in the list of units from which the sample was selected, non-responses, and imperfections in reporting by respondents. Inaccuracies of this kind are referred to as non-sampling errors and these may occur in any collection. Every effort has been made to reduce non-sampling error to a minimum by careful design and testing of questionnaires and systems used to compile the statistics.


ACKNOWLEDGMENT

15 ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated; without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.

16 This publication is one of a series to be issued in respect of 1999-2000 for a range of cultural services industries. Other publications in this series are:

Botanic Gardens, Australia 1999-2000 (cat. no. 8563.0) -issued April 2001
Motion Picture Exhibition, Australia,1999-2000 (cat. no. 8654.0) -issued May 2001
Video Hire Industry, Australia,1999-2000 (cat. no. 8562.0) -issued May 2001
Public Libraries, Australia, 1999-2000 (cat. no. 8561.0) -issued June 2001
Museums, Australia,1999-2000 (cat. no. 8560.0) -issued July 2001
Television Services, Australia, 1999-2000 (cat. no. 8559.0) -issued July 2001
Film and Video Production and Distribution, Australia, 1999-2000 (cat. no. 8679.0) -issued August 2001
Performing Arts, Australia,1999-2000 (cat. no. 8697.0)