Indigenous commercial art galleries

It is not always possible to have up-to-date or current data for statistical purposes. Some Australian Bureau of Statistics surveys are conducted on a regular basis: monthly, annually or every few years. Other major data collections such as the Census of Population and Housing are of a great scale and are only conducted every five years.

Other statistical analyses, such as the Australia Council�s The Arts Economy 1968�1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000) are major one-off studies that are so far-ranging, they can only be commissioned on a periodic basis. Although at first glance it may appear dated, this analysis gives an important historic perspective on the current state of the arts in Australia.

According to The Arts Economy, in 1996�97, commercial art galleries sold $14.6 million worth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks.

A total of 72 galleries were involved in first sales on commission of Indigenous artworks, generating sales of $4.4 million. A further 57 galleries were involved in secondary sales, generating $10.2 million.

Sales of artworks by Australian commercial galleries, 1996�97

Type of sale	Percentage of sale (%)
Indigenous first sale	3.4
Indigenous secondary sale	7.8
Other Australian first sale	44.5
Other Australian secondary sale	42.5
Overseas artworks	1.9

Source: Australia Council, The Arts Economy 1968�1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000).

The total value of all artworks sold by commercial galleries in 1996�97 was $130.9 million. Indigenous artists accounted for 7 per cent of total first sales of Australian works and 15.5 per cent of sales on the secondary market.