An art gallery is a public structure or room specifically for the exhibit of art, generally by the art gallery itself. It may be publicly or privately owned and can usually be found in either public or private ownership. It may display any form of art - paintings, sculptures, prints, etc. - that are on view at the time it is exhibited. Some art galleries also include in their premises other types of artistic activities such as musical productions, conferences, theatrical presentations and other similar events.
There are different kinds of art gallery such as one that is owned by an individual, a college, a university or a public museum. Private galleries are usually found in homes. Public art galleries are governed by rules that are imposed by government regulations. The regulations may be state or federal, and the rules may vary from one state to another. Private galleries are commonly referred to as art museums and the term art gallery is used interchangeably with the art museum.
A privately owned art gallery is one that is privately owned and operated by an individual or by an institution. It can be either public or privately owned and may have restrictions on the admission of certain people or it may even have admission rules. Private art galleries usually showcase works by local artists or those from certain geographical regions. Exhibitions of art by famous British or American artists are regularly held in private collections. There are also private collections of art which are owned by wealthy people, often for exclusive reasons.