What You Can Expect The First Time You Buy Art From A Gallery
Galleries are an essential player in today’s art world, and they serve many functions. A gallery supports the artists on their roster through showing, promoting, and selling their work, as well as behind-the-scenes support like financial management or book publishing. Galleries are knowledgable about art history, the art market, and current art trends. Buying through a gallery can give you peace of mind in the quality of your art investment.
Shopping at a gallery for the first time can feel intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. I recommend following the gallery you like online and getting to know their artist roster and point of view. Go to their art openings and events. Research the artists they represent and the price point of those artists. Galleries typically share prices on request, and there will be a price list posted for every art opening.
For this article, I’ve collaborated with local gallery owner and art historian, Cindy Lisica of Cindy Lisica Gallery (Houston), to help you know what you can expect the first time you buy art from a gallery.
How does a new collecter typically approach you for the first time?
If it’s a new person approaching the gallery, I wouldn’t necessarily know if they are a collector. So, anyone new is potentially a collector. People come to the gallery all sorts of ways, whether it be their first time in a gallery or just their first time in my gallery. Sometimes it is an opening or event that draws someone in, or perhaps a certain artist or show that they heard about. Or, they may just be “in the neighborhood.” I meet new collectors at art fairs and through social networks as well. In any case, I always make sure to welcome and encourage conversations, and I have converted art lovers into art buyers. Bringing art into the home is such a special and meaningful way to engage with the world and what you love.
I think sometimes the reason shopping at a galley is intimidating for first-time buyers is a lack of understanding of the value of the art. What do you recommend that a new collector do to be confident in the value of the artwork they are acquiring?
There are multiple answers to this. If they are concerned about the monetary value (beyond the aesthetic or “I just love it” connection), then there is nothing wrong with doing a little research on the gallery, its owner and the artists that show there. Reputable galleries and serious artists will serve as a guide to this through their activities, such as upcoming exhibitions, art fair participation, an active studio practice, museum shows, list of collections in which their work is found, and of course, their CV. Some artists have a history of gallery representation in multiple cities and therefore would have consistent prices and exhibitions between those venues, giving the collector the assurance that the work will continue to gain value into the future.
If a collector wants to look at work from an artist that is not currently displayed, how should they ask you about it?
Often I invite collectors into the “back room” and we also have inventory in art storage on site and off site. We have images and databases and can “pull” pieces from storage any time. I am always happy to show other work that is not currently on display. The gallery is constantly working to promote all of their artists, so the exhibition in the gallery space is just one facet of the whole business. We exhibit and represent artists working in various media as well (sculpture, painting, photography, new/mixed media, installation, etc.) so we welcome requests or inquiries accordingly and for specific needs.
What advice do you have for first-time art collectors looking to shop at galleries?
Look at a lot of art, and ask questions, but always pay attention to and trust yourself. It’s a bit cliché, but it’s true: buy what you love, and you can’t go wrong. Why talk yourself out of something that moves you? If you want it, have it. Treat yourself, if you can, and you will enjoy it more than that one time you saw it in a gallery. An artwork can be consistently “fresh” if it gives you that initial sweet reaction every time you see it. That is something that great art does – it speaks to you over and over, not just because it’s “new”. You have a relationship with it (and the artist/gallery that you’ve supported through its purchase). Someone created that unique piece, and now you get to live with it. Your collection is something that you can also enjoy sharing with guests, and you can be proud to have art in your home. Who wants to be surrounded by blank walls or empty space all the time, anyway?
You can find Cindy Lisica Gallery online here for current and upcoming exhibitions. The next opening reception at Cindy Lisica Gallery is for artist Diane Burko, opening on Friday, May 3. This summer at Cindy Lisica Gallery is great for new collectors, as they are teaming up with PrintMatters Houston with a group exhibition of (affordable) limited edition prints in an International exchange show from Medellin, Colombia and HTX. And they’ll have another summer popup called “Heat Wave” which highlights local artists.
Additional questions? Leave them below.
If you’d like some additional reading, here is a helpful article from Artsy that details some critical steps for buying from a gallery. I also have a post on buying original art you can read here.
