What does

Poem 88 is a privately held, single-location contemporary fine art gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in October 2010 by owner/curator Robin Bernat. The company presents and sells work by emerging and mid-career artists, with art prices ranging from $2,400 to $10,000 per piece, and operates Poem 88 EDITIONS, a publishing sub-brand launched in 2014 that produces catalogue raisonné, artist books, and poetry collections (priced $22–$60). Over 14 years of operation, Poem 88 has presented more than 88 exhibitions showcasing work by over 300 metro-Atlanta artists and maintains a current represented roster of 15 artists, of which 68% are women and 42% are aged 50 or older.

The business operates on a one-time-unit sales model: art sales through the physical gallery and at regional art fairs (most recently the inaugural Atlanta Art Fair at Pullman Yards, October 3–6, 2024, Booth H01) and publication sales direct-to-consumer globally via Poem 88 EDITIONS. Programming has historically extended beyond exhibitions to include poetry readings, artist talks, lectures, film screenings (e.g., Films for the 99%, Antonioni Movie Marathon), performances, and the annual Valentine's Salon. Core technology is limited to standard digital marketing channels (Wix-hosted website, Facebook, Instagram); there is no proprietary software, AI/ML capability, or API surface.

Following a year-long exhibition hiatus, the gallery is transitioning: Poem 88 EDITIONS is active (recent titles include Phyllis Alterman Franco: Collected Works, Tom Ventulett: Spaces, and Lisa Tuttle: Post-Colonial Karma), gallery operations have resumed on a limited basis, and Bernat has publicly stated she will pursue independent curating and programming opportunities. Revenue is undisclosed; the gallery is profitable-leaning lifestyle/small-business scale (1–10 employees), privately funded, with no parent company, institutional investors, or external capital structure reported.

Legal name

Poem 88

Website

https://poem88.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Poem 88 is an Atlanta-based contemporary fine art gallery representing 15 emerging and mid-career artists, with a publishing arm (Poem 88 EDITIONS) producing catalogue raisonné and artist books for collectors and art institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Contemporary art gallery
• Fine art sales
• Artist representation
• Art publishing
• Art exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: The gallery sells artwork from represented artists, with pieces ranging from approximately $2,400 to $10,000 based on available pricing. Sales occur through the gallery and at art fairs.
2. Publication Sales (Poem 88 EDITIONS): The gallery publishes and sells catalogue raisonné, artist books, and poetry collections through Poem 88 EDITIONS. Publications range from $22 to $60.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Poem 88 operates a contemporary fine art gallery in Atlanta that represents 15 emerging and mid-career artists (68% women), curating exhibitions, performances, and community programming. The gallery also runs Poem 88 EDITIONS, a publishing arm producing catalogue raisonné and artist books with national and global reach. Sales include original artwork ($2,400-$10,000) and publications ($22-$60).

Product overview

Poem 88 operates as a single-location contemporary fine art gallery in Atlanta, with one core offering: curating and presenting exhibitions of emerging and mid-career artists. The gallery also runs Poem 88 EDITIONS, a publishing sub-brand that produces catalogues raisonné and artist books, providing national and global reach for collaborations with gallery artists. The gallery emphasizes inclusion, with 68% women artists and 42% artists over 50 years of age on its roster.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Poem 88 EDITIONS: Publishing arm of the gallery that produces catalogue raisonné and artist publications, offering collaborations national and global reach.

Products and services

• Poem 88 Gallery Contemporary fine art gallery in Atlanta representing 15 emerging and mid-career artists (68% women), featuring exhibitions, performances, installations, and community events focused on inclusion and diversity. Original artworks and limited edition prints priced from $2,400 to $10,000.
• Poem 88 EDITIONS Publishing arm of Poem 88 that produces catalogue raisonné and artist books, enabling collaborations with artists to reach national and global audiences. Publications priced from $22 to $60. Notable titles include Phyllis Alterman Franco: Collected Works (2024), Tom Ventulett: Spaces (2023), and Lisa Tuttle: Post-Colonial Karma.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pullman YardscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Poem 88 is participating in the inaugural Atlanta Art Fair to be held at Pullman Yards October 3-6. The gallery will showcase works of Brendan Carroll, Susan Seydel Cofer, estate of Phyllis Alterman Franco, and Elizabeth K. Porcel in Booth H01.
• Whitespace GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobin Bernat, owner and curator of Poem 88, is represented locally by Whitespace gallery for her own artwork.
• Circle B PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCircle B Press is a cooperative printmaking studio and publisher that Robin Bernat owned from 1992-2001. She published monographs for artists Rick Berman and Susan Seydel Cofer under this imprint.
• Nexus PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobin Bernat served on the advisory board of Nexus Press, a publishing organization in the Atlanta arts community.
• Twentieth Century Art Society of the High Museum of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobin Bernat served as vice chair of the Twentieth Century Art Society of the High Museum of Art, engaging with the broader Atlanta arts community.
• Art Papers MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobin Bernat served for many years on the Board of Directors of Art Papers magazine, initiating their public program Art Papers Live.
• American Academy in RomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobin Bernat was a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome in 2001. Jerome M. Cooper was also a Visiting Artist there in the 1990s.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Pace Gallery: Global mega-gallery with a deep publishing program (Pace Publishing) and catalogue raisonné activity that mirrors Poem 88 EDITIONS at vastly greater scale, illustrating the upper-bound model of what a publishing-amplified gallery can become.
• High Museum of Art: Atlanta's flagship art institution and a key institutional buyer; Poem 88's founder served as Vice Chair of its Twentieth Century Art Society, and it represents the institutional endpoint of Poem 88's collector pipeline.
• David Zwirner: International contemporary gallery with an integrated publishing imprint and artist representation across multiple locations; comparable business model to Poem 88 in combining primary sales with catalogue publishing, though at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Hathaway Contemporary Gallery: Atlanta contemporary gallery focused on emerging and mid-career artists, with overlapping programming (exhibitions, art fairs, online sales) and a shared target collector base in the metro Atlanta market.
• Mason Fine Art: Established Atlanta contemporary gallery representing mid-career artists with a similar mix of exhibitions, artist representation, and primary sales to collectors and institutions in the Southeast.
• Kai Lin Art: Atlanta contemporary gallery representing emerging artists with comparable price points, roster size, and curatorial focus on inclusion and community programming.
• Whitespace Gallery: Atlanta-based contemporary gallery explicitly mentioned as a local collaborator of Poem 88's founder; represents a directly comparable mid-size Atlanta contemporary program with shared collector base and curatorial scale.
• Sandler Hudson Gallery: Atlanta contemporary gallery with a roster of established and mid-career regional artists, parallel exhibition programming, and similar primary market sales approach.
• Maristone Contemporary: Atlanta gallery presenting contemporary work by emerging and mid-career artists, competing for the same regional collectors and inclusion-themed programming as Poem 88.
• Alan Avery Art Company: Long-running Atlanta gallery representing contemporary artists with strong regional collector relationships; comparable operating model and Southeast market focus to Poem 88.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Poem88
• Instagraminstagram.com/poem_88
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/-poem-88-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 →

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