Art for sale online from galleries and how buying works

A commercial gallery represents a group of artists and shows their work in exhibitions. Online, the same works appear in a few places: the gallery's own website, an online viewing room for a current show or an art fair, and offer PDFs that sales staff send to collectors who ask. Prices are often not printed next to the image. That is normal and does not mean the work is out of reach. It means the gallery wants to know who is asking, partly to answer questions and partly because galleries care where an artist's work is placed.

Buying from a gallery is different from buying on a marketplace. You deal with people who know the artist, can tell you about the work's history and condition, and stay in touch after the sale for framing, insurance values and future works.

Write to the gallery about the work you saw, by email or through the contact on its profile. Name the artist and title, say where you saw it, and ask about price and availability. A short note about your interest in the artist helps. Galleries answer inquiries every day and a simple, polite message is all it takes.

"Price on request" means the gallery shares the price after an inquiry. You will usually receive the price, the dimensions in inches and centimeters, the medium, the year and often a short catalog description, sometimes as a one page offer PDF. Ask if the price includes the frame, if the work is part of an edition and if sales tax applies in your state.

If you need a few days to decide, ask for a hold. A hold reserves the work for you for a set period, often a few days to a week, without obligation. Galleries keep track of holds and release them when they expire, so reply before the date you agreed. During popular shows and art fairs holds can be short.

When you confirm, the gallery sends an invoice with the work's details, price, any sales tax, and shipping or crating costs as separate lines. Check the spelling of the artist and title, the dimensions and the delivery address. The invoice is also the document you will keep for insurance and for the work's provenance.

Galleries usually accept bank transfer, and many also accept card payment. Larger works are commonly paid by wire transfer. Confirm bank details by phone or in a reply to a message you already know is from the gallery before sending a large transfer. Ownership and the release of the work normally follow full payment.

Small works on paper may travel in a flat package, while paintings and sculpture often need a custom crate and a fine art shipper. The gallery arranges shipping or gives you a quote from a shipper it works with. Ask about insurance in transit, delivery to your floor and installation, and whether you need to be present to sign for the crate.

Before the work leaves, ask for a condition report: a short written record of the work's condition with photographs of any marks. When the work arrives, compare it with the report and write to the gallery within a few days if something looks different.

For many contemporary works the gallery provides a certificate of authenticity or a signed invoice that serves the same purpose. Editions such as prints and photographs list the edition number. Keep these documents together with the invoice, they matter for insurance and for any future resale.

An online viewing room is a web page the gallery opens for an exhibition, an art fair booth or a selection of works chosen for you. It shows large images, details, sometimes installation views and video, and often the price. Some viewing rooms are public and some open only from a private link. When a gallery sends you a private viewing room, it is an invitation to ask questions and to request a hold on any work you like.

• Visit in person when you can. Admission to commercial galleries is free, and many galleries open Tuesday to Saturday.
• Ask what else is available by the artist. Galleries often have works in storage that are not on the website.
• Ask about payment in installments for larger works. Some galleries agree to them, especially for collectors they know.
• Keep every document: offer, invoice, condition report and certificate.
• Follow the artist, not only the work. Galleries remember collectors who come back to a program over the years.

Our guides describe the gallery districts of major US cities, when openings take place and how to plan a visit. Start with art galleries nyc, walk the blocks of chelsea art galleries, or head west to art galleries los angeles. You will also find chicago art galleries, miami art galleries, san francisco art galleries and a seasonal guide to art fairs.

Collectors do not need an account. Keep reading the guide and contact galleries directly from their profiles.