Fosun Foundation is a non-profit organization in Shanghai. I went there to visit the exhibition of Alex Katz and conducted a small interview with Kari, who in charge of the art store. Here are some findings:
The main purpose of selling merchandise is to enrich the gallery and exhibitions as an extension, but not to gain a profit. So there is no any big ambition to further develop the art store.
Most customers are concerned about the practicality and appearance of the merchandise. The tote bags, postcards and pins are the most popular. They usually regard merch as a souvenir or to show their love for a particular artist. As the result, The sale of the same merch at other places outside the exhibition or the gallery is very poor.
Few customers, mostly men, go straight to artists’ albums and books