There are few places more overwhelming than an art fair in its opening hours. For gallerists, these electric first moments are about closing big-ticket deals that will justify the cost of attending. Collectors arrive, elbows out, to compete with advisors and museum curators for the most in-demand artworks. Novices entering the arena might, understandably, feel intimidated. But the format remains one of the best ways to discover a vast variety of artwork in a short period of time.
With the Armory Show in New York opening on Sept. 24 and major fairs in Europe around the corner, now is the moment to begin planning for the fall season. Offering encouragement to first-timers, experts have given CULTURED their top tips for navigating the experience.
Before You Go: Do Your Research
Art fair prep work begins before you even hit the fair floor. “Going into a fair and having my list of dealers to go to first helps create a structure,” says Paul Henkel, a third-generation art collector and founder of New York’s Palo Gallery.
Galleries rarely post prices on the wall, which can be off-putting to newcomers, especially when news coverage tends to focus on eye-watering, eight-figure sales. But veterans say there is a lot of variety beneath the headlines. “The most important thing to know is that art fairs offer an incredibly wide range of price points,” says Joanna Witek-Lipka, cofounder of Art Warsaw and director of Warsaw Gallery Weekend.
While galleries may give priority to established collectors, don’t worry too much about pitching yourself as a prospective buyer. “Genuine curiosity goes much further than trying to establish your credentials as a serious collector,” says New York gallerist Margot Samel, whose gallery is showing house sculptures by the late Philadelphia artist Leroy Johnson and moody streetscapes by Sasha Brodsky at the Armory Show in September.
A better mode of preparation is to see exhibitions, ask questions, and get to know the artists and galleries you are interested in.
On the Ground: Know Your Etiquette
Your ideal trajectory should be led by your interest: hit the galleries you are most interested in first. If you aren’t sure where to start, you can tackle the fair by section; most fairs group emerging galleries together, for example. Contemporary art collector Benedicta M. Badia always hits that sector first. “That art has a more affordable market, so artworks are sold quicker,” she explained. Still, she will step aside if a museum is interested in a work.
Regardless of what section you visit, all fairgoers should abide by a golden rule: “NEVER interrupt a gallerist who is talking to a client,” Badia said. This is especially important in the first two days of a fair, when higher-ticket purchases and particularly competitive sales are being hammered out.
Another major no-no, courtesy of Henkel, is to skip the drinks. “As a dealer, a huge red flag for us is someone with a glass of champagne in their hand,” he says. “We are here for the art and often find that the drinkers are there for the scene, or worse, will touch the art!”
Talking Numbers: Finding Flexibility
The discussion of prices, experts say, should be approached as a seduction. Open with one question about the art or the artist rather than going straight to haggling. “You will offend people by beginning a conversation fishing for a discount,” warns Sonia Jakimczyk, cofounder of Warsaw and London-based gallery Import Export, which will be showing work by the maverick American-Swiss artist Cathy Josefowitz at Artissima at the end of October.
Like seduction, the negotiation is a delicate dance—if you keep a dealer in conversation for 20 minutes when you know the work is far out of your range, you might get branded a time-waster. (Consider it the equivalent of keeping a suitor in conversation at a bar for the evening before admitting that you’re taken.) As the conversation unfolds, Jakimczyk says it’s worth being forthright about your budget. Galleries do sometimes have ways of finding flexibility through shipping, multiple purchases, or with a payment plan. “It is always reasonable to ask what might be possible, and I think most galleries would prefer an open conversation rather than have someone assume a work is simply out of reach,” fellow gallerist Samel agrees.
While a softer market has made buyers more inclined to negotiate, you can save your most aggressive haggling for the flea market. “Pricing is rarely as flexible as people imagine,” advisor Thomas Rom says.
After Closing: Read the Small Print
Before you shake on a deal, beware of hidden costs. “Ultimately, the agreed-upon price for a work of art is not the final expense in the transaction,” advisor Richard P. Townsend warns. You’ll end up factoring in shipping, insurance, framing, storage, and commission to your advisor, if you are working with one. You may also need to pay for professional art handling, especially if the artist has precise ideas about how a work should be installed.
A cardinal rule for M. Badia: “Always ask if there are any taxes to be paid, both where you are buying and in your locality.” Her collection is based in Chicago, so her favorite hack is asking the gallery to include the work in any shipment already headed to the U.S. and then arrange ground transportation the rest of the way. “It is both more affordable but also ecologically friendly,” she says.
Tips and tricks aside, collectors headed to an art fair for the first time should not forget their raison d’être. “Collecting art is about the love of art,” says Bangladeshi collector Nadia Samdani. “If you’re looking to start a collection, I would always say to follow your passion.”
With that advice in your pocket, how could anyone possibly go wrong?
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