Most Art Places Near Me Are Not Open Anymore

Many things have changed in society in the past couple of years. Because of the two-year pandemic, businesses have closed, people have relocated to other states, and the way we work and live has also changed. Thousands of businesses have closed doors to never re-open again. It is especially true for many art galleries. Keeping an art gallery is not a small feat. Rents on retail spaces have gone up and with the uncertainty of government restrictions, many had closed their doors permanently. Those art galleries that have weathered the storm are also reporting lower sales and fewer customers patronizing their exhibitions.

In reality, the numbers weren't that bad after all. The LA Times did a survey at the beginning of 2020 and concluded that only about 30% of art galleries in Los Angeles weren't going to re-open. The rest were either sure they will survive (and thrive) or they were pretty positive they can make it. Others also have switched their business model to an online gallery, in order to sell art directly via the shopping cart on their website. And since we buy pretty much everything online these days, anyone would think that buying art online would be just as simple. But for many people, it is not, and it is reflected in a newly emerged eternal debate. Is it safe to buy art online? Or is it better to buy it after you see it in person? This and many other questions arise when considering acquiring art over the internet."Weeping Souls" - Buy Waterfall Photography By Jongas Fine Art

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Pros And Cons Of Buying Art Online Vs. From The Art Gallery

The Pros

The most obvious pros when buying art in person, of course, is the fact that you can look at the art with your own eyes. You can also sit in front of it for a minute, enjoy it, imagine how it will look and feel when you hang it in your living room or picture the artwork above your fireplace. When you visit an art gallery where art is being sold. No one will even try to argue that seeing the texture, the size, and the gravity of the artwork while holding a glass of champagne in your hand and discussing it with your spouse, friends, or some strangers can not be substituted by anything else. It is absolutely correct whether you are looking at the Mona Lisa or an exhibition by famous landscape photographers.

When viewing artwork at the art gallery in person, you also get to experience it in its best presentation. Unless it's a pop-up gallery at the local art fair, most professional art places near me have the best interior design to support the art pieces, as well as to enhance the viewer's experience to the fullest. They have the best atmosphere and professionally installed lighting for each artwork. As well as, the polished art consultants who can answer all and every single question you can come up with when it comes to that particular art piece. 

Related article: How to properly light artwork on a wall in your home or in the office

In other words, when you visit an art place in real life. You get the real thing. You can see it, feel it, smell it, or in some cases even touch it, before you decide if this one is for you and whether or not you are going to purchase it.

The Cons

Probably the only negative thing you can say about buying art from an art gallery near your home or at the art show relates to finances. Due to the obvious reasons mentioned above in this article, a gallery owner often has a pretty big overhead, in order to keep the door at the gallery open. He has to pay rent for a space, he has to pay for insurance or maybe even private security. She has to hire commission-based art consultants or pay herself to stay at the gallery during business hours, pay for marketing, cleaning service, utilities, maintenance, etc... Plus the gallery owner also shares their profits from the art sales with an artist whose work he sells. Unless of course, the gallery is owned by the artist himself. In that case, the artist is the gallery owner and doesn't have to pay the gallery fee which is usually 20-40% of the amount the artwork has sold for.

In laments terms, if you will buy artwork from an art gallery. You will pay more. Because of the above-mentioned factors. Plain and simple. That brings us to another question.

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Can You Buy Art Online and Is it Safe Buying Art On The Internet?

Buying art online today is very much possible. Just like you can buy anything you desire on Ebay, Google or Amazon. It is just as simple to buy art online also. Most artists, especially many fine art nature and landscape photographers, have been selling art prints over the internet for years. And with the improvements in technology, where showing artwork in a digital setting has become easier. Some have even closed their physical galleries and have successfully switched to an online art gallery business model only. Where they service their clients over the phone and over the internet and ship their art directly.

Is buying art online safe?

This depends on the type of art you are buying. If you are buying a Picasso or Monet for a million dollars, I would absolutely suggest you actually do it in person ONLY! And make sure you also bring someone who understands what you are buying, so you don't end up with artwork printed in a chop shop from the back alley. In all other cases, buying art online is not only safe, assuming you are buying from a reputable online shop and not from a random guy on Craigslist. But, these days, it is even more encouraged. As we will see in a minute, it is more of a win-win for everyone, especially for the buyer and the artist herself. 

The safest part about buying art online is the fact that it is being shipped insured, but also if you don't like it, you can always return it. With real-world art galleries, that may not be even possible, due to the fact that you don't really have an excuse to say that you don't like it, or that it doesn't look as good as you thought it was going to look. Because you saw it in person. And you might have to come up with a really serious excuse in order to return it.

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Where To Buy Art Online

There are currently many places to buy art online these days. Some of the biggest names in the industry are Fine Art America, Saatchi Art, Artsy, Lumas, Art Finder,  Etsy, and many others. And if you search in Google for "Art Places Near Me" you can even find online galleries in your own neighborhood, city, or state that will ship art to you directly from their website. There are thousands of art and photography galleries on the internet, where various artists and fine art photographers feature their work and have it available for purchase directly from them. 

Benefits Of Buying Art Directly From An Artist

Many of the websites recommended in this article that sell art are obviously resellers. There is nothing wrong with that. However, everyone would agree that buying art directly from an artist, makes the experience more beneficial for both the artist and the art buyer. Simply because you cut out all and any middlemen from the transaction. This brings me back to the biggest downside of having a real-life art gallery. It has a big operational overhead and guess what?! The overhead is always passed to the art buyer in increased prices for the artwork. This makes buying art online, not only more convenient, but also cheaper for everyone. 

See, artists, sculptors, and famous landscape photographers don't have such an overhead when operating an online business. Yes, there are some costs involved, but it doesn't even come close to the amounts of cash needed to sustain an art showroom at the retail location in an upscale part of the town. Running an online art gallery needs very little capital, with most of it going to pay for marketing. Plus, in many cases when buying from an artist directly, you don't have to talk to salespeople or the all-knowing, pushy art consultants. Instead, you work and talk to the artists directly, which helps build a more trustworthy relationship and helps grow a more meaningful connection with the artwork.

So, without a doubt, buying art online directly from the artist serves both parties with more benefits and saves you money. As a simple comparison, an average photography print at one of the Peter Lik's galleries sells for about 12 thousand dollars, mainly because of the previously mentioned overhead costs. Whereas, the artwork of the same value on jongasfineartphotography.com will cost less than half of that amount. Check out photography art for sale by Jongas and browse museum-quality landscape photography prints. I hope you can find the art piece that will not only add to your living space and also bring you lots of joy and positive energy!

Jongas Fine Art Photography - offers fine art photography prints from many collections including Abstract art for sale, city photography prints, landscape photography, dark fine art photography, waterfall photography and many more.

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