i've just been contacted via email by an unsigned person claiming to be from the Montserrat Gallery in New York City. reportedly this is a very well-known and respected gallery in the art world, and has been around for over 15 years, but that's just going from the email/website information.
a google search tells me there is such a place, just not at the address in the email, nor at the corresponding phone number. furthermore, i was contacted from an email address not listed on the site[http://montserratgallery.com]. see where this is going?
the email was typed up fairly professionally, with large gaps in between paragraphs, and a 2+ page agreement and application written out in full legal-ese. by reading the fine print, i find two things... first, they're asking for a $1,900 "payment" to display artwork for a period of one year. second, this payment only constitutes a "completed application" which tells me they can take my money, deny the application, and call it a day.
sniffing out the scam yet? now, granted, it is possible that the email comes from a legitimate, established, well-respected gallery, with an art director who is genuinely interested in displaying my work. also, it is possible that such a partnership could prove very profitable to myself personally. but, then again, it's also possible that other email i deleted from the nigerian princess who needs me to sign for her money so she can give me my million dollar share is also legit.
however, with no person signing the email, no contact information that matches the website/yellow pages lookups, and with the "let's get directly to the you giving us $1,900" part, i feel fairly confident that even if this isn't a scam, these probably aren't people i would want to work with.
enough said.
-s h
a google search tells me there is such a place, just not at the address in the email, nor at the corresponding phone number. furthermore, i was contacted from an email address not listed on the site[http://montserratgallery.com]. see where this is going?
the email was typed up fairly professionally, with large gaps in between paragraphs, and a 2+ page agreement and application written out in full legal-ese. by reading the fine print, i find two things... first, they're asking for a $1,900 "payment" to display artwork for a period of one year. second, this payment only constitutes a "completed application" which tells me they can take my money, deny the application, and call it a day.
sniffing out the scam yet? now, granted, it is possible that the email comes from a legitimate, established, well-respected gallery, with an art director who is genuinely interested in displaying my work. also, it is possible that such a partnership could prove very profitable to myself personally. but, then again, it's also possible that other email i deleted from the nigerian princess who needs me to sign for her money so she can give me my million dollar share is also legit.
however, with no person signing the email, no contact information that matches the website/yellow pages lookups, and with the "let's get directly to the you giving us $1,900" part, i feel fairly confident that even if this isn't a scam, these probably aren't people i would want to work with.
enough said.
-s h
Check your mail.