Association des galeries d’art contemporain

What Association des galeries d’art contemporain does

The Association des galeries d'art contemporain (AGAC) is a Canadian non-profit association founded in 1985 and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. AGAC represents 35+ contemporary art galleries across Canada, defending the moral and economic interests of its members and promoting the recognition and prosperity of the contemporary art market. The association operates the Plural Contemporary Art Fair in Montreal as its flagship annual event and administers the Pierre-Ayot and Louis-Comtois awards for excellence in contemporary art.

AGAC's core product surface spans four primary lines: (1) the Plural fair, generating revenue from participating galleries and combining commercial exhibition with the Plural Forum educational program; (2) the AGAC Foundation, a philanthropic arm that runs the Collection AGAC limited edition program (two artworks annually, ~$1,250 CAD each, limited to 20 copies per work, featuring established Canadian artists such as Nicolas Baier, Geneviève Cadieux, and Françoise Sullivan); (3) the Collectionner augmented reality mobile app, developed with Montreal digital studio Dpt., which presents approximately 1,000 contemporary works from 40+ Canadian galleries and represents AGAC's first digital distribution product; and (4) member services including standard contract templates, AGAC Maps, exhibition wall and furniture rental, and the Michel Cohen Prize supporting emerging galleries.

The organization's revenue model combines recurring membership fees (eligibility-based: minimum 3 years operating, permanent exhibition space, 6+ represented artists, 5+ exhibitions annually), Plural fair participation fees, transaction revenue from Collection AGAC art sales, Foundation donations and tax-receipted gifts above $20 CAD, and public cultural funding from SODEC. Customer concentration is dispersed across member galleries and donors rather than anchored to a single buyer, though public funding from a small number of government agencies introduces a separate funding-concentration risk. Strategic direction is codified in a Vision 2030 plan and a 2024-2029 digital strategic plan.

Name

Association des galeries d’art contemporain

Legal name

Association des galeries d'art contemporain

Website

https://agac.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Association des galeries d'art contemporain (AGAC) is a Montreal-based non-profit founded in 1985 that represents 35+ contemporary art galleries across Canada, operating the Plural art fair, the Collectionner AR app, and educational and award programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Gallery Association Services

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary art galleries
• Art fair organization
• Gallery membership services
• Art market advocacy
• Art collecting education

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from galleries meeting eligibility criteria (operating for at least 3 years, permanent exhibition space, representing minimum 6 professional artists, presenting minimum 5 solo or group exhibitions per year).
2. Limited Edition Art Sales (Collection AGAC): AGAC partners with renowned Canadian artists to produce and sell two limited edition artworks annually. Editions are priced at approximately $1,250 CAD each, framed, with proceeds supporting AGAC operations.
3. VIP Events and Fundraising: The AGAC Foundation runs annual fundraising campaigns, VIP Opening & Benefit Evening events at the Plural fair, and accepts donations. Tax receipts issued for donations over $20. The Michel Cohen Prize is funded through donations to support emerging gallery participation in Plural.
4. Plural Art Fair: Annual contemporary art fair in Montreal organized by AGAC, featuring member galleries. The fair generates revenue through participation fees and associated programming including the Plural Forum educational component.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AGAC is a non-profit membership association that represents contemporary art galleries across Canada, defending their moral and economic interests. The association organizes the Plural contemporary art fair in Montreal, manages the AGAC Foundation (which produces the Collection AGAC limited editions and the Michel Cohen Prize), and provides member resources such as standard contracts, gallery maps, and exhibition furniture rentals. Membership is open annually between October 15 and November 15 to qualifying galleries.

Product overview

AGAC (Association des galeries d'art contemporain) is a non-profit organization representing contemporary art galleries across Canada. The organization's offerings include the annual Plural Contemporary Art Fair (core product), the AGAC Foundation (philanthropic arm managing the Collection AGAC limited edition program, Michel Cohen Prize, and Plural Forum educational programming), the Pierre-Ayot and Louis-Comtois awards, and the Collecting—augmented reality mobile application developed with Dpt. studio. AGAC also provides member resources including gallery maps, exhibition furniture rental, and standard contracts. The organization operates primarily in Montreal and serves member galleries and art collectors across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prix Michel Cohen: An annual prize created by the AGAC Foundation to support young contemporary art galleries in the early stages of their development by helping cover participation fees at the Plural fair.
• Plural Foire d'art contemporain
• Collection AGAC
• Collectionner — l'application
• Prix Pierre-Ayot
• Prix Louis-Comtois

Products and services

• Plural Contemporary Art Fair Annual contemporary art fair organized by AGAC in Montreal, bringing together member galleries to showcase Canadian and international contemporary art to collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts.
• Collection AGAC Limited Editions Limited edition artworks released annually by the AGAC Foundation, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire works by established Canadian artists while supporting the organization's mission. Priced at approximately $1,250 CAD each, framed, limited to 20 copies per artwork.
• Collectionner Augmented Reality Mobile App Mobile application developed in collaboration with Montreal studio Dpt., enabling users to discover, visualize in augmented reality, and purchase contemporary artworks from over 40 Canadian galleries with approximately 1,000 works available. The first application of its kind in Canada.
• Michel Cohen Prize Annual prize created by the AGAC Foundation to support emerging contemporary art galleries in early development stages by covering participation fees at the Plural fair.
• Pierre-Ayot Award Award given by AGAC to recognize achievement and excellence in contemporary art.
• Louis-Comtois Award Award administered by AGAC recognizing excellence in contemporary art.
• Plural Forum Educational programming platform within the Plural fair featuring panel discussions, guided tours, and workshops that bring together gallerists, artists, collectors, curators, and art market experts for dialogue on contemporary art issues.
• VIP Opening & Benefit Evening Annual prestige cocktail event supporting the AGAC Foundation, offering preview access to the Plural fair and exclusive activities including studio tours, private collection visits, and museum tours.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 35 member galleries represented across Canada
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SODEC (Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec)coreOthersSODEC is a public cultural enterprise development agency that provides financial and promotional support to cultural enterprises in Quebec. AGAC acknowledges SODEC's support on its website, indicating a foundational funding and recognition partnership for AGAC's cultural programming.
• Dpt. (Montreal-based digital studio)coreTechnology or IntegrationAGAC collaborated with Montreal-based digital studio Dpt. to develop the Collectionner augmented reality mobile application, the first application of its kind in Canada to present a large catalogue of artworks accessible in augmented reality. Dpt. provided the technical development for this innovative digital initiative.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD): AAMD is a non-profit professional association for art-museum directors. It is comparable to AGAC as a peer professional body in the North American cultural sector, even though its members are museums rather than commercial galleries.

Broad incumbents

• Sotheby's: One of the two leading global art-market intermediaries, operating auction sales, private sales, and advisory. Comparable to AGAC as a stakeholder in the broader contemporary-art market that AGAC's members operate within.
• Frieze (Endeavor): Frieze produces Frieze London, Frieze New York, Frieze Seoul, and related fairs and media. It overlaps with AGAC's fair-organization activity and contemporary-art focus, but operates at international scale.
• Christie's: Christie's is the other principal global art-market intermediary, with auction, private-sale, and advisory services. Sits in the same broader art-market ecosystem as AGAC and its member galleries, though operating very differently.
• Art Basel (MCH Group): Art Basel operates the world's leading network of contemporary art fairs (Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong). It is comparable to AGAC as an incumbent fair organizer in the contemporary-art market, although at vastly larger scale and commercial scope.
• TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair): TEFAF is a major global art-fair operator rooted in a non-profit foundation model. It is comparable to AGAC as a fair-anchored, non-profit-leaning art-market institution, though serving a broader and more international scope.

Direct peers

• Art Dealers Association of America: The ADAA is the closest functional analogue to AGAC: a non-profit association representing art dealers/galleries in the U.S. that also produces a flagship fair (The Art Show). It shares AGAC's membership-based, advocacy-driven, and trade-fair-anchored model, operating across a different national market.
• Contemporary Art Society (UK): A UK non-profit that places contemporary art in public collections and supports collecting practices. It mirrors AGAC's nonprofit advocacy and collector-education mission within a different (UK) geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCN_34SjL7AGlqVn5Hzj1qKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AGAC.Canada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agaccanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/agac_canada
• TikToktiktok.com/@agac_canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association des galeries d’art contemporain