As artists and art professionals, it is in our best interest to develop deep empathy for our clients. We need to be able to put ourselves in their shoes to understand what motivates them to part with their hard-earned money for a painting or sculpture.
Sometimes the motivation is opaque, but after working with art buyers for decades—visiting their homes, sharing meals, and discussing their collections—I have found that most buyers fall into three distinct categories. Understanding which category a potential client belongs to can help you better serve them and, ultimately, close the sale.
1. The Investor (The Myth)
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. There is a persistent belief, often fueled by headlines about auction records, that people buy art primarily as an investment. The assumption is that collectors are looking to “buy low and sell high,” hoping an artist will become famous so they can turn a profit.
In reality, this motivation is far less prevalent than you might think. While there are certainly high-level speculators in the blue-chip market, they represent a tiny fraction of the art-buying population.
For the vast majority of collectors, art is a terrible financial investment compared to traditional vehicles like the stock market. You generally aren’t going to beat the S&P 500 by buying a landscape painting. Most seasoned buyers know this. If a client is grilling you strictly on future resale value, they are likely the exception, not the rule.
2. The Decorator (The Pragmatist)
The second category is less glamorous, but it represents a massive portion of the market: The Pragmatist.
These buyers are motivated by a simple, physical reality: they have a home with empty walls, and they need something to cover them. Perhaps they just bought a second home or moved into a larger space, and the silence of those white walls is deafening.
These are the clients who might come to you saying, “I have a sage-green sofa, and I need something that works with it.”
As artists, it is easy to cringe at this. You want your work to be appreciated for its meaning and technique, not its ability to match throw pillows. However, dismissing these buyers is a mistake. This is a valid entry point into collecting.
The “decor” motivation is often just the hook. Once they are engaged, you have the opportunity to educate them. Many dedicated collectors started out just needing to fill a space, only to discover that living with real art enriched their lives in ways they didn’t expect.
3. The Enthusiast (The Pure Joy)
Finally, we have the buyers who make this business delightful: The Enthusiasts.
These are the people who buy art simply because they love it. They love the experience of visiting galleries, meeting artists, and hearing the stories behind the work. For them, the value isn’t financial or utilitarian; it is emotional.
In my experience, this group is surprisingly large. They are looking for the “thrill of discovery.” They want to own a piece of the magic that you created. When you connect with these buyers, the sale feels less like a transaction and more like a shared celebration of the work.
The X-Factor: Serendipity
Regardless of the motivation, there is one final element required for a sale: Serendipity.
You can analyze demographics and trends all day, but often a sale happens simply because the right person walked in at the right moment when the right piece was on the wall.
I have seen it happen countless times. A painting might sit in the back room for months. I decide to pull it out and hang it up on a Tuesday, and on Thursday, a family walks in, falls in love with it, and buys it. If I had waited three more days to hang it, the sale wouldn’t have happened.
It can feel almost superstitious, but it highlights a practical truth: You cannot take advantage of serendipity if you aren’t “open.” You have to keep your work visible, keep your inventory fresh, and keep your doors—physical or digital—open. You never know when the stars—and the buyer’s motivations—will align.
Join the Discussion
When you look at the people who have purchased your art, which category do you see most often? Do you find yourself selling mostly to “Pragmatists” trying to fill a space, or “Enthusiasts” who just fall in love with the work? Share your observations in the comments below.
This is one of the best articles about buyers of art. Short but presice. Unfortunately, most of the artists serve the second category of buyers. I see what is displayed in many galleries. 90% – decorations. I have one local lady who sells her art through the VA-located gallery. It’s killing me… faceless landscapes that can be painted within a day. I will zip my mouth about the abstract art that could be better placed on the walls under the bridges.
Another sub-category of decoration buyers are those who want to impress visitors of their home. If they have the taste, perhaps they will buy something decent. If not, it begs the question: why in the world you put “this” in your home?
A friend of mine just bought a new condo near the ocean. His wife asked me to paint something with the ocean, and in a wide format in order to place it on the long wall. Normally, I paint only something I love to paint, because if I don’t, I put that painting aside until better time. In this case, even it was intended as a decoration, I couldn’t say no to my friends. So, I have added human presence with a puffy dog on the beach. It made a difference: it was not a faceless ocean waves painting.
People are not educated to have a good taste to art. It’s not a school subject…
Many years ago I was a guest with my Dad in Sammy Davis’ home. Sammy had an amazing collection of art! My Dad told him I had been in art school since a very young and I told him I loved all his beautiful art!
He sailed and said, “If you see something you like, but it! You will always find a place for it!”
Sailed? You mean he said what?
maybe was supposed to say, smiled, and said?
#1 — check.
#2 — check.
#3 — bingo!
X-Factor: Serendipity — !!!!!!!!
60% of my sales are serendipitous in nature; 35% are returning patrons; 5% other. Emotion is definitely the driving force behind finding new owners for my creations. Now if I can only get my web presence together, although it’s extremely difficult to bring serendipity to two-dimensional presentations.
Great Article!
I lean towards Pure Joy and Serendipity being the biggest factors, besides the mega millions for the few!
The enthusiast is that person for me. Virtually person who purchased my work did so purely because they liked it enough to hang it in their personal space. I’ve had a few you categorized as Decorators, but not many. Investors? Not so much.
The bulk of my clients fall into the third category, The Enthusiast. One of my greatest joys is when a client is standing in front of a piece of my work crying or smiling. Sounds a little “twisted” but these actions lets me know that they are touched on a deep level and they are not trying to match a sofa or they are not secretly hoping that I die soon so the price of my work will increase.
Hi Jason, your breakdown of collectors is so interesting and makes sense to me. I would have to say that as a rather small time painter, most of my buyers are enthusiasts or simply people who know me and wait for the perfect painting in their price range. There is one painting, which won a BoldBrush award, that was purchased quickly by someone who might have fallen into more of a professional ‘collector’ status. I know he/she still follows me, so I am aware of their presence, and hope to sell to them again! Unfortunately, the piece that just won another award was long ago sold. Thank you for your enlightening insights.
Enthusiasts. Most of my sales go to followers on FB. They watch the progress of each new work and contact me to say ” that’s the one. I resonate with that”. The last work I sold wasn’t even completed yet, the buyer saw my ” am I finished yet?” Post and said I’ll take it, I love it! So I stopped working on it, wrapped it up and shipped it. The family loves it.
Mes ventes ont toujours été faite par « coup de cœur »❤️
Another great article. A type of buyer not mentioned is the young, 20 years and under buyer. To my surprise, a young man, about 18, came buy at a very established large Art Show with thousands of pieces of art for sale, that I was participating in and told me he was interested in getting his first piece of art for his room at home. He zeroed in on a small 11 X 14 of mine and said that one was the one he wanted. His Mom, asked him if he was sure, and he said yes, I love it. Sold, The following year, he came by again and asked me if I remembered him, of course I did and asked him if he was happy with the piece once he got it home. He said for sure, and I want another of your pieces because I am moving into an apartment.. Sold, second piece. Now, although these were lower priced small pieces, I am delighted a young person has started an art collection. The next year, a cute young couple came by, and said they just got married, just moved into their first home together, and wanted to pick their first piece of art together. They bought a framed 11 X 14 and left delighted. I am 74, and if my art appeals to these young people, I feel blessed.