What to look for in an HTML theme for shows, artists, and visiting info — and why Orbis is the one we ship for art gallery and exhibition. This is a working note from the VicanTheme journal, written for galleries and institutions. The catalog we keep returning to is HTML templates, because files you can host beat a locked builder when the brand has to last.
If you already know the industry, skip ahead to the recommended demo — Orbis — and use the headings as a checklist rather than a speech.
A buying filter for art gallery and exhibition themes
Ignore homepage awards. Open the demo on your phone and try to visit / collector enquiry. If you cannot, the theme is a poster, not a tool.
Check that the pack includes exhibitions, artists, visit, journal, commercial licensing, and a live HTML preview — not a video of a Figma file.
Why Orbis exists
Orbis is an HTML theme for shows, artists, and visiting info. The visual language is wall, caption, and circulation. It refuses ecommerce product cards on artworks.
You get static files you can host anywhere, a regular license for client work, and an extended license if the site becomes a paid product. Preview it beside Lumen if your brief straddles photography studio.
What to inspect in the demo
Look for dates, floor plan, and the artist in the first screen. Click every page in exhibitions, artists, visit, journal. Resize to 390px. View source: you want semantic HTML, not a page-builder soup.
Galleries and institutions will judge you in four seconds. The demo should already feel like a serious art gallery and exhibition house, not a startup landing page with the logo swapped.
How to buy without surprises
Purchase on VicanTheme in USD, download the ZIP, replace images with dates, floor plan, and the artist, and connect visit / collector enquiry to the form or booking tool you already use.
Stay in HTML templates if you want files you can hand to any developer. Skip all-in-one builders if you care about performance and lock-in.
Do this in order
- Open the live demo on a phone.
- Replace photographs before you restyle the CSS.
- Connect the real enquiry or booking tool last.
Questions people actually ask
Is Orbis only for one language?
The HTML is easy to translate. Duplicate pages and keep the same layout — the design does not depend on English-only tricks.
Can agencies use it for clients?
Yes, on a regular license, one end product per purchase. Extended if that product charges end users.
Keep reading: Art gallery and exhibition website design: layout that does the job and How art gallery and exhibition websites should handle visit / collector enquiry. Or browse Industry Templates in the journal.
