There are different ways to get in touch with art galleries, you just have to know where to go and how to introduce yourself.

[signinlocker id=4040] There are some simple, but basic rules to follow to find the right gallery for your goals whether you are an emerging artist looking for opportunities for your art, or a collector searching for the perfect artwork for your collection.

Each gallery is different from the others: there are gallerists known throughout the world, who treat established artists, able to influence the market significantly, but there are also smaller and more open-to-experiment realities.

Knowing the history and the work of the gallery with which you want to get in touch is essential, especially for the emerging artist who has to talk about his artistic research with the gallerist, who is going to choose to promote and enhance him in his own spaces.

Even the collector can find the works and artists he is interested in, only knowing the professionals he is addressing.

There are three privileged places to get to know new galleries and have a first contact:

• Web: a place of exposure now fundamental also for art, whether it is a website or a social network, such as Instagram.
• Art Districts: areas densely packed with galleries and artist’s ateliers, where a walk can be worth a collection of business cards or useful contacts (for example, Mayfair in London or areas like Brera and Cinque Vie in Milan)
• Art Fairs: at the moment there are 260 art fairs spread across the world. You can find fairs dedicated to defined historical periods, such as TEFAF, or focusing in the contemporary, such as Frieze London, which deals with art from 2000 onwards. There are also fairs for any pocket, such as the itinerant Affordable Art Fair, or even more specialised ones, such as 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair.

Whatsoever way you decide to get in contact with a gallery, it is always good to keep in mind a few simple rules:

1. If you are an artist, never contact a gallerist in a period just before or just after an exhibition or an event: neither he nor his staff will pay the due attention to you;
2. Do not show up at the gallery without warning, especially if you are interested in starting a collaboration. On the website of the gallery you can see the words: “We do not accept applications for collaborations”, in that case it is better not to insist. But if this is not the case, it is better to send a clear and precise email where you have to attach the Portfolio in which you have to specify: contact details, the Statement, a selection of works and updated Curriculum Vitae; finally wait and book an appointment;
3. For a collector, there are numerous advantages to buying in an art gallery, especially concerning the provenance and quality of the works that, during the acquisition phase, must always be backed up by the certificate of authenticity. At the time of the loan or sale this will be the real “passport of the artwork” that will allow you to certify and guarantee the value of your work. [/signinlocker]

The art gallery circuit is not always willing to listen to the proposal of a new artist or to devote some time to the first improvised collector; it is therefore good, with respect of the roles, to brace yourself as best as possible to be excellent interlocutors for the right gallery