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Because artistic endeavors do not lend themselves well to
analytical examination (despite the endless drivel put forth by the
“experts”), our judgments concerning these endeavors tend to be based on
emotion as opposed clear-eyed reasoning. As
well it should be.
The creative process is a chaotic, nonlinear one to say the
least. Few works of art ever reach
the buying public without first having undergone a baptism of fire.
Any attempt to overanalyze this journey of torture is to somehow belittle
it.
Those of you who visit art galleries as potential buyers
are all possessed of certain instincts. Learning
to fully trust those instincts can be a troublesome matter.
Simply browsing through a large number of galleries will often put a
buyer more at ease. Getting to know
the owners and possibly some of the artists who show at the gallery will also
be useful.
Remember that an art gallery is nothing more than a
business that retails a certain type of merchandise to the consuming public.
Grand and eloquent though the surroundings may be, the primary job of the
gallery is to sell art.
Many buyers, especially those who are new to the process,
have an interest in exactly how an art gallery “works”; they want to know
how the artist-gallery relationship is structured and what the protocol really
is when it comes right down to purchasing a piece of art.
These are all legitimate interests and, short of divulging
personal financial information, any gallery representative should be willing to
explain the “nature” of the business, which, by the way, is really quite
simple, straightforward and completely lacking in mystery.
In a general sense, galleries operate in much the same
fashion as any retail business. An
artist will consign a piece of art to the gallery. The gallery will then attempt to sell the art at an
agreed-upon price (which should always be posted next to the art).
If the gallery is successful, the artist is then paid his/her commission
(the percentage of which has also been agreed upon) and everyone is happy.
The obvious question from the buyer, then, is “Why not
buy directly from the artist who’ll then discount the commission that he/she
would normally pay?” Apart from
being a highly unethical practice, artists who bypass their galleries and sell “on the side” at a
discount are actually devaluing the market price of their work, which a good
gallery has worked hard to establish.
An important point for all buyers to keep in mind is
this: A piece of artwork is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it:
no more, no less. If you negotiate, for example, a $5000 painting for $4000, you have not
“saved” $1000; you have merely paid full price for a painting that is worth
$4000. No reputable gallery will
negotiate the price of artwork downward unless that gallery is sure that the artwork will
not fetch full market price.
Of course, as in all businesses, certain types of
legitimate discounts may apply to certain purchases.
Some galleries might offer a courtesy discount to longtime buyers, or a
“Collector’s Discount” to someone who buys on a regular basis
These types of standard, pre-set discounts may be absorbed by the gallery
or shared with the artist, and should
not be confused with price negotiations.
Purchasing art should not be a painful or stressful
process. Rather, it should be
fulfilling, rewarding and fun. In
my next article I will continue to shed light on the entire buying process, the
way galleries and artists work together and, most interesting of all, perhaps, why art
costs what it does.
In the meantime, relax and enjoy visiting your
local galleries. Look at the
variety of art on display, ask questions, and enjoy yourself.
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ART
FACTS
