The Bienal in São Paulo, in the heyday, was the ultimate goal of artists, mostly painters and sculptors. To be awarded at an international Biennial was the dream. Those were the times of art, from the patronage of Matarazzo until the early 1980s. Ciccillo Matarazzo literally created the Bienal in São Paulo, and also literally, the military dictatorship led to a decline from 1965 to 1973, with some artists signing the Manifesto “Not the Biennial 'at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, in 1969.

That was the dream in the past, and what is the dream today? Of course, participating in a Biennial still gives a lot of prestige, but we can define it as the final goal for a work of art, to be in a museum, or to be museum quality, jargon of the academic art world. The museum is the ultimate destination for works by validated artists. It is a public institution, maintained by government funds or private donors and maintainers, and, just like Petrobrás “is ours” for Brazilians, the museum has become a friendly place, as demonstrated by the recent exhibition by Tarsila do Amaral, at Masp.

A fundamental distinction between museums and galleries is that the latter are intended to make a profit for their owner or dealer, whereas museums are nonprofit, even though they are even more commercial, or marketable; see the MOMA store. But most museums charge admission while the galleries are free to visit. The Art Dealers Association of Americas mentions that galleries in New York offer the best free education in art appreciation. The exhibitions in the ancient Colnaghi and Agnews galleries in London rival that of museums.

It is true that some galleries operate as private dealers, and visitation is closed or by appointment only, and, despite the immense progress, they still do not rival museums in Brazil. But the point of this article is to value their work. Returning to the dream, for a beginner artist, a college degree in arts or a Master in Fine Arts (MFA) is a good way to achieve something in the galleries, first with collective and then with individual exhibitions, being the commercial acceptance of the work fundamental for advance.

But, an MFA is a fortune today, apart from the cost of living abroad. And sometimes, the artist will be lucky if he succeeds with his MFA to be one of Jeff Koons' helpers. There are several paths for an artist, nowadays, direct selling through Instagram is common, even by established artists. It is also complicated to have to take an art course, as many of the greatest masters are self-taught, and the artist often develops a job and is satisfied with his art.

Finally, people tend to think that the museum is the only place for the arts, and really is the heyday for most artists. But, they are touched by human beings like us, maybe candidates, maybe nominated, or maybe just well connected. In today's competitive art world, where the means of production and dissemination are democratized, there is also a lot of value in having your work in a gallery. As well as, visit and know the galleries that work with open doors.