ABOUT EFFE LEVEN GALLERY

Effe Leven Gallery is committed to exhibiting contemporary works by emerging artists, as well as professional artists. With our twenty-eight walls of exhibition space, we represent artists working in a wide range of media, including painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture and installation.

Effe Leven provides the opportunity for established artists, as well as young artists and students to have their work galleried in one of the most prestigious art districts in the nation. Exhibitions average four weeks in length and ‘private’ exhibition rooms are available for a nominal fee. Our vision is to present the public with an opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of contemporary artists in a variety of styles, subjects and mediums.

Effe Leven Gallery chooses to accept artwork from emerging artists which often times is a tougher sell for a number of reasons including:
a. Not all art buyers are high-end, high-priced purchasers
b. Most buyers purchase based on what they like more often that what is a good 'investment'
c. The artwork is more often than not priced much more affordably
e. To provide emerging artists equal opportunity to exhibit their work within the River North art district as big-name and big-ticket artists.
f. Not all artists exhibit to sell their work
g. Some artists simply want to establish presence in multiple galleries
h. Art is a highly-subjective discipline which what one person thinks is bad art to another it is something they want to purchase.
The list of reasons goes on.

The gallery is conveniently located in Chicago’s River North arts district, just off of Chicago Ave & Franklin St.

Effe Leven Gallery is committed to exhibiting contemporary works by emerging artists, as well as professional artists. Effe Leven provides the opportunity for established artists, as well as students to have their work galleried in one of the most prestigious art districts in the nation: Chicago’s River North arts district. With our twenty-eight walls of exhibition space, we represent artists working in a wide range of media, including painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture and installation. Our vision is to present the public with an opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of contemporary artists in a variety of styles, subjects and mediums. Exhibitions average four weeks in length and ‘private’ exhibition rooms are available for a nominal fee.
Effe Leven Gallery can best be described as a blending of the conventional gallery model with that of the vanity gallery model. The “conventional gallery” model is one in which the gallery will choose an artist to exhibit, based on the quality of their work and on the potential of that work selling while exhibited. Conventional type galleries charge a sales commission only. The “vanity gallery” model allows for artists to rent space to exhibit their work and as a general rule, vanity type galleries charge an exhibition (wall rental) fee PLUS a sales commission.

Effe Leven gallery is unique in that it charges the artist a wall rental fee; however, it refunds that fee if the artist’s work is sold (and the sales commission exceeds the amount of the wall rental fee). The gallery also does not charge artists any sales commission fees if the total of commissions earned is less than the wall rental fee. So in the end, artists are not required to pay both a wall rental fee and sales commission.

So why does Effe Leven Gallery rent wall space?
The gallery rents wall space because it chooses to gallery emerging artists, new artists, students, and the like whose work is not of the caliber and name known well enough to be accepted by conventional galleries who can take the 'risk' with more established artists. It is the artist who chooses whether or not they want to pay the exhibition fee. Many of which have tried numerous times to be accepted by the conventional galleries. We must balance the tougher saleability of an emerging artist's work with a sound business model of compensating for the fact that emerging artist's work is a tougher sell by renting our wall space.

Why you should exhibit at Effe Leven Gallery:
Effe Leven Gallery provides artists ample opportunity to exhibit their work, as well as to establish their name. Other benefits include the location of the gallery in the River North arts district of Chicago; considered one of the premiere art gallery centers in the United States. In addition, the gallery has an ever increasing mailing list of potential buyers, conducts multiple Artist Exhibition Receptions each month, has a track record of selling the artwork of both emerging and established artists, and the gallery also works with third party outside consultants that have direct contact with interior designers and art buyers.

Is Your Work Guaranteed To Sell?
The gallery cannot and does not guarantee that the work of any artist will be sold. However, we do guarantee that we will provide the artist with ample exposure in the gallery and work hard on their behalf to expose their work to the right buyers. In the end though, the artist’s work stands on its own merit.

Effe Leven Gallery invites all artists to submit their work for exhibit consideration by CLICKING HERE along with complete contact information. We will contact you shortly thereafter with our decision.