Eight New Tips for Buying at Art Galleries

1. Mentoring: Use dealers and gallery directors to help mentor you. Choose those whose artists you admire. Go to fairs to see art but go to galleries to learn about it. If you discover an artist at a fair, find out what gallery represents them. If you like one of the artists in a gallery you might like others.
   
   
2. Back Room Specials : Ask to see what the gallery has that is not on display. Many times they have work for sale on consignment in a back room.
   
   
3. Timing: Visit galleries in off times like the summer or a non reception afternoon. If you go in the morning makes sure of the hours….most gallery directors do not show up until 11 am at the earliest. This is a time they will be more able to mentor you.
   
   
4. Bargains: Look for works donated by galleries to charity auctions. They usually support museums in this way and you can sometimes find a bargain.
   
   
5. Budgets: Set a Yearly Art Budget….galleries respect this and encourage it.
   
   
6. Patrons Privileges: Don’t go to the gallery just for the free wine and nibbles, but do go to socialize and make contacts with other interested patrons, artists and art professionals and of course to see the art. If you become a patron of the gallery, you might expect a more private preview and a chance to buy the work before the general public gets a chance to see it. Bring your Art Collecting Club/friends/ colleagues to a gallery en mass and ask for a special tour. You will earn brownie points with the dealer.
   
   
7. Negotiate : Galleries will often allow you to exchange a work you have bought from them for a work by the same artist that is a better and probably more expensive.
   
   
8. Reputation: Find out if the gallery rents/sales its walls to artists for show or if the gallery director or curator chooses all the works and supports a stable of artists. The later usually is more established and knowledgeable about the art it shows.

ART COLLECTORS: OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

• SUPPORT ART GALLERIES and help to find the new market of excellence
• BECOME EDUCATED especially about local art.
• CREATE A SYNERGY between yourself and other buyers. Have an attitude of co-operation not competition. Be transparent in all dealings and not secretive. Share all sources and contacts.
• EMBRACE ALL HIGH TECH opportunities such as web sites of galleries and artists, web marketing, web ezines especially www.SDVisualArts.net
• AWARD THE ARTISTS OF EXCELLENCE to create ART STARS by buying their work and spreading the word
• ENCOURAGE ART WRITERS to develop our media with documentation, critics, interviews, on TV, radio, internet, and all newspapers, magazines.
• BE FLEXIBLE AND OPEN TO ALL CREATIVE IDEAS by welcoming art at the beaches or the sports arena; even at corporations in the parking lots from a mobile van. Patronize restaurants with changing art shows, and galleries in our Art Colleges
• MENTOR THE FUTURE ART SUPPORTERS by introducing children to art and taking them to art events. Also please recognize and support teachers of excellence.