Knowing Your Art Dealer

If you're looking to become a collector, you need the

right art dealer, the right advisor.  He or she doesn't

necessarily have to be in your state. The art dealer you

choose to work closest with can even be in another country.

The most important thing to develop between you and the

dealer is trust. There is a very fine line he or she must

tread, because they have to allow you to exercise your taste

while at the same time advise on what they believe would

be good purchases or not.

By building rapport and trust with your dealer,

if the art dealer is doing their job, they will create the story

for you, tell you about the work, how it was painted. They

will dim and raise the lights for you, presenting this piece in

various ways. When you find a pleasant art dealer to deal

with who has fair prices and artworks you're attracted to, I

encourage you to improve your relationship with them.

In the future he or she will feel free to call you and

bring to your attention collections you did not know existed.

They will also feel welcome in inviting you to shows and

exhibitions at the gallery, allowing you to meet artists and

gain awareness of new art. And most important, as a friend,

he or she will go to great lengths to make you happy with

your purchase and make it special.  On the other hand,

treating him or her as simply a salesperson you're trying to

get the best bargain from, is probably the quickest route to

having an unpleasant gallery experience.

Most of us are trained, through society, to have an

adversarial view when walking into a dealership of sorts. It's

almost as if you come in with shield and sword ready to beat

the best deal you can out of them. But you will notice art

galleries tend to have an exclusive relationship with an artist