Being included in the Venice Biennale is a very big deal.

For emerging artists, it can be a career-defining moment. Even established ones can add another notch to their belt. And for the galleries that represent them, it may very well mean improved business prospects.

While dealers generally deny that the Venice Biennale is a selling event (you may get snubbed if you make such a gauche suggestion), there’s no question that collectors, museums, and advisors are known to treat the show a little differently. Even if they aren’t shopping the exhibition catalogue, the publicity associated with an artist’s inclusion provides an excellent opportunity for the back room.

So we got to wondering: which gallery stands to gain the most from the 59th Venice Biennale?

We parsed the 213 artists represented in Cecila Alemani’s main exhibition, “The Milk of Dreams,” as well as every artist representing a national pavilion to find out.

Unsurprisingly, a mega-gallery comes out on top: David Zwirner. His gallery represents a total of seven artists across both sides of the show. (Another Zwirner artist, Marlene Dumas, is getting her star turn at a collateral event at the Palazzo Grassi.)

So with that (perhaps obvious tidbit) out of the way, enjoy our handy list of every gallery representing every artist at the most important contemporary art show in the world.

 

Galleries Representing Artists in “The Milk of Dreams”
Vigo Gallery, London:

Ibrahim El-Salahi (The Milk of Dreams)