Alan Bamberger
Art consultant, advisor, and appraiser; shares practical guidance for artists and collectors, with regular reflections on studio practice and the art market.
Display Eye‑Catchers to Slow Traffic and Boost Sales
Do you show at art fairs, open studios, or other group events? One of the more common artist mistakes is having no art on display to slow traffic down. This is especially true for those who make smaller more detailed work that is not easy to see at a distance. In competitive situations like these, you can't sell anything if everyone's passing you by. Even if your eye-catcher art is unlikely to sell, it will at least get people to slow down, stop, come in, and hopefully take a closer look around.
Art Buyers Need Time, Research, and Consistent Presence
People don't just discover and instantly buy your art. They often start slow, search you online, maybe follow you (whether you know it or not), and otherwise get a better sense of your work. They take time to decide. Could...
Lock Print Specs Early, Never Change, Build Trust
Publishing limited edition prints? Set all specs in advance including edition size, image size or sizes, margins, what to print it on, printing process, signature location, where it's numbered, if or where to date or title it, COA wording, etc....
Price Art by Track Record, Not Strangers' Opinions
No one can price art simply by looking at it or tell if it's too cheap or expensive. Why? Because additional factors always need to be considered, the two most important by far being your resume and sales history. A...
Practice Showing Art to Refine Audience Connection
If you want to show your art in public, practice showing it. How? Exhibit it every chance you get to those you know and especially those you don't, online as well as in person. Try different selections, ways to group...
Immersive Art Shows: Whole Exceeds Sum of Parts
One of the signature qualities of great art shows is that the moment you enter, you feel like you leave the world behind and instantly transport to whole new realities. The individual pieces seamlessly play off one another, almost like...
Avoid Listing Unsellable Art to Prevent Buyer Confusion
Artists sometimes show art they don't want to sell, usually marking it NFS or pricing so high that no one will buy. If you love it that much, best not to show it in for-sale settings. Why? People can get...
Galleries Empower Artists by Educating Buyers and Expanding Access
Ways all artists benefit from the constant hard work galleries do: Showing how great art can look on display anywhere. Engaging with the public about the many benefits of having art in their lives. Helping us all understand that art...
Treat Your Best Art as a Future Retirement Asset
Your art can be your retirement account. The idea is to set aside a few pieces of your best work per year and hold them back until you decide to slow down or stop. The longer you're around and the...
Art Galleries Connect, Educate, and Anchor Art in Life
What good are art galleries? They live and breathe art. They add structure to the art world. They engage with art and artists all day every day... and also with collectors, curators, consultants, museums, institutions, buyers, media, influencers, etc. They...
Buy Art You Love Now, Fuel Artists' Futures
One of the great paradoxes of the art world is people who wait for artists to get known before they buy, while for artists, being able to consistently make and sell art is part of how they get known. For...
Clarify Terms, Payment, and Liability Before Consigning Art
Questions to answer before you consign art: Length of the term. How and when you get paid for sales. Party responsible for packing, shipping, handling, installing, etc. Party liable for loss, damage, theft. Party responsible for insuring the art. Insurance...
Group Shows Thrive When Curated, Suffer When Not
Downsides of group shows: Too many artists, too much art crowded too close together, lack of curation, hardly any restrictions on what artists can show, art is randomly displayed, viewers can get overwhelmed, difficult for critics to review, etc. Upsides...
Consistent Art Production Beats Quick‑Fix Strategies
For artists in search of perfect content to increase their engagement, views, online profiles, fan bases, help them sell more art, or reach whatever goals they're striving for, there is no quick fix. Nothing happens all at once. Isolated posts...
Create Authentic Art by Using Your Own References
Way too many artists use images downloaded off the Internet as references for their art. The more of this you do, the less your art is about you, the more it is about "them," and the further it is from...