What art fairs really tell us about art sales

Lessons from an art fair

Art fairs are often seen as the holy grail of art sales and they can be but that’s dependent on a lot of factors and not just simply showing up. Sure, a captive audience turns up with buying in mind but art sales require more than just willing participants on both sides of the sales process. Art fairs do tell us a lot about art sales though.

What art fairs provide that is particularly valuable is that they put a microscope on the art sales world and highlight some important constants

Great art sell and terrible art sells and neither sells

Spend a couple of hours at any art fair in any city and any country and you’ll see both the best and the worst on offer leaving the venue, in the satisfied clutches of its new owners. A frustration for many artists, generally, is watching other artists achieve success that they covet. This is especially aggravating when the feeling is that the work selling is not as good as what you are producing yourself. This is blatant at art fairs and it demonstrates three things; art is subjective, there is any audience for every kind of art and that making the sale is about much more than the art itself.

People buy from a place of emotion not logic

An often missed aspect of art sales is that buyers buy from a place of emotion, not logic. This plays out when you see ‘bad’ art selling at an art fair. People choose work they connect with and understand. This is a very important thing to know when you consider how you talk about the work AND how you price it. Art buyers aren’t bargain hunters 😉

YOU play a bigger part in the sale than the art

The art fair microscope brings attention to the fact that the artists who do best at art fairs are those who know how to sell… This doesn’t mean that you have to be some kind of sales whizz but you do have to know that the art only does some of the talking when it comes to the customer making a significant enough connection with the work to buy it. That’s where you come in! The artists who are practised at talking about their work and have experience in generating conversation with stand visitors are the ones who make the sales…not the artists who sit quietly in one corner not bothering the people while they look at the art.

Competition is strong

Another inescapable truth about art fairs is that it creates a microcosm of competition. Buyers senses are filled with all kinds of tempting treats, aisle after aisle. This is always the case when it comes to the selection process, buyers can be lured by competing artworks, something that can often be forgotten by the individual creator. Your work will almost always be pitched against others, the obvious example is at gallery group shows but don’t discount solo shows offline or online (via your website) when buyers must choose which of your beautiful works to choose from. There is always a selection process and providing assistance in the choice is an important service to offer.

Art sales are always considered

Don’t be fooled by the sales you see happening at an art fair that go like this;

A potential buyer makes a beeline for one stand, has a brief exchange with the artist and promptly purchases.

This kind of sale is not the love at first sight encounter it might look like. It’s likely the result of a long game marketing strategy by the artist where they have engaged previously, several times, with this buyer to warm up the lead. What you see at the fair is the buyer taking the very last step in the process after much back and forth.

Organic art sales at an art fair are much more likely to look like this;

An individual arrives at the stand and takes a look at the collection. They may focus on one or two works and may even engage in conversation with the artist at this stage. This will be followed by the customer leaving the stand to browse the other aisles, grab a coffee, or find their partner in the fair maze…it might be all three. The customer could make two or even three visits to the stand altogether…they may even leave and come back the next day. Whether to discuss the selection with their partner or simply to give it more thought, the decision to purchase happens in stages. It’s true that the opportunity of an art fair can speed it up but it’s rarely ‘see it, buy it’.

An art sale is always considered even if it looks like it wasn’t or if you feel like it’s lost when you watch someone walk away from your stand. That’s why point 3 (see above) is so important. Developing the emotional connection with the work lies with you and the time someone spends on your stand, this is what you should be focused on

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