Analýza business modelů soukromých komerčních galerií a návrh jejich klasifikačního systému pro Českou republiku

The Master thesis deals with the private commercial galleries businesses that are the main actors of the primary art market. The art market represents a network connection between the world of art, culture and aesthetical values on one side, and the commercial and economic spheres, on the other. This is also reflected in the mission and activities of galleries, seeking both to develop the potential of the artists they represent and, at the same time, to generate profit from the sales of their art works. The author asks to what extent can the conscious application of management tools and methods influence the success of the gallery in terms of its economic indicators and overall prestige. In the practical part, following the summary of theoretical knowledge, the author identifies the characteristics of five business model components and develops a questionnaire and structured interviews, whose results are used for the quantitative and qualitative analysis. Using the methods of deduction, induction and statistical calculations, the author observes that most of the galleries, at least partly, apply the management tools and plan the activities related to their business model. This phenomenon is then reflected, for example, in the structure of their costs. The assumption that the application of these tools could have an impact on economic indicators (i.e., achieving a higher annual turnover) is not confirmed within the sample of galleries monitored. Identifying the benefits of the application of management methods within the art business sector may not be as clear as it is in other business areas. This may be caused by the art market unpredictability and variability, as well as by working with the specific nature of artwork as a product. In this regard, flexibility is a highly required trait from the participating organizations. The practical contribution of the thesis is mainly seen through the proposal of the classification system of private commercial galleries in the Czech Republic, which can serve both to systematize the Czech gallery scene and to improve the gallery´s performance and competitiveness through the usage of these benchmarking tools.