4. THINK OUTSIDE YOUR COLLECTING BOX

Dan Dailey glass sculptures from Leo Kaplan Modern at SOFA Chicago.

“Contemporary art? Never.” We’ve heard that before from traditional-minded collectors, but we’ve also seen them wander through a contemporary show and fall hard for works that are less than traditional. Fair organizers are wisely clustering their shows around similar dates to encourage crossover collecting. A new discovery—be it a gallery or an artist—can be the highlight of a shopping trip.

Fairs also afford you the opportunity to talk to experts and attend sponsor-organized lectures related to items that you are unfamiliar with and are contemplating collecting. Both of SOFA’s fairs, in Chicago in the fall and New York in June, offer an extensive daily lecture series.

5. SEEK ADVICE
Many of the fairs offer art advisory services to VIP guests and the public. For example, Corfield Morris, a London and New York–based advisory group comprised of Sotheby’s veterans, now has a stand at Olympia’s fairs as well as TEFAF. So, if you’re weighing whether or not to purchase that 18th-century English walnut bureau, you can ask a Corfield Morris expert for his opinion. They also will negotiate anonymous sales. An advisor’s commission is typically 10 to 15 percent of the sale price.

6. SPLURGE ON BENEFIT TICKETS
For serious collectors, it pays to view the fair first. At some fairs, you can literally buy your VIP status, through benefit tickets, but at others, like Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, you need to prove your elite collector status and be invited to join the club. In some cases, dealers might share their big-spender lists with fair organizers (another good reason to cultivate dealers).
Once you rank, the doors open for you. In Miami, during Art Basel, and in New York, during The Armory Show, private collectors like Craig Robbins, Rosa de la Cruz, Don and Mera Rubell, Nicholas and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, and Laura Stokler open their home collections to VIPs. Other collectors might host breakfasts, teas or cocktail parties.

VIPs also often have their own entrance to the fair, a private champagne lounge and coffee bar, specially arranged shipping services and even access to the global concierge services of Quintessentially, the private members-only service, which will be available again this year to Olympia VIPs during the summer fair.

In addition, elite fair-goers can be entitled to valuable purchasing advice and information on emerging artists. Become a patron of London’s Royal Academy of Arts (starting at as little as £165, this status will gain you entrance to all the events, afford you opportunities to meet with academicians and give you early entry to the fair) and you’ll not only be invited to the party of the summer—The Summer Exhibition Preview—but will also get a tour of the show with a royal academician.

7. DON'T BE SHY
There’s no doubt that fair-going can be an overwhelming, if not intimidating, experience, but even if you’re not in the mood to buy, think of it as an educational opportunity. “There’s nothing that dealers love more than talking about their antiques,” says Jeremy Garfield-Davis, of London’s Ronald Phillips Ltd. “We’re always excited to see new faces, develop new clients. If fact, once you get us talking, it will be hard to get us to stop.”

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Sallie Brady is an Art & Antiques New York correspondent. This is a follow up to her “Sophisticated Shopping: How to get the most out of fine art and antiques fairs” (January 2005).