Hey everyone! Today we are with Victoria Hawkins at White Cube Gallery. We met Victoria in the Hamptons last summer at an event. We want to help make visiting an art gallery seem less intimidating. Victoria is English, and White Cube's Headquarters are in London. They recently opened their Manhattan outpost. 

• When you go to an art gallery, what questions should you be asking? Don't be afraid to ask any questions. However, the art world doesn't encourage you to ask questions. For example, sometimes when you go to an art gallery there is a piece of work on the wall with no information - no artists name, no price, etc. Start with what you think is most interesting. You could ask, "Who is this artist?" "When was this made?" "How did they make this artwork?"
  • How much research should you do in advance? If you're starting out, before you go, you can research information on the gallery, what they are currently showing - what artist or exhibitions they have up, this can usually be found on the About Page of the gallery's website. You can start to decide if you like the artwork or not. You could also go to an art gallery and not know anything, because you never know when it'll click OR you'll find something you really don't like. By researching the things you don't like, you can find out what you do like.    
• You come in & fall in love with a piece of art, & the person decides to purchase, what is the process like from there? If you buy a piece of art, you really need to love it. You don't have to make a decision right then. Ask information on the artist, for their CV (Resume), a biography, is their work in any museums? This can help you determine the importance of the artist. 
• Can you visit an art gallery if you do not want to buy? Yes
• How can you figure out the price? Can you ask the price? Yes, you can ask. Most of the time, things will be for sale. A gallery is a shop for art, so the point is to sell the pieces. 
• Why is it important for an artist to have a gallery? (for example, the gallery functions as a PR company (press, meeting the right people, help promote them)). It can be helpful so the artist can focus on being creative. The gallery can help think about upcoming exhibitions, how to market them artist, put them in touch with museum curators, try and sell their work for them, etc. An artist would want to be with a gallery who nurtures them.  
• Break down myths - 
  • For people who want to collect art, but think they don’t know enough to do so. Do some research. It is important to find someone within a gallery you trust whom you can ask questions. Ask them about the artists at their gallery, etc. People who work at art galleries usually have studied art in some way. 
  • If you like art, can you learn about it and enjoy it in art galleries & museums and not have to purchase? Yes. Museums are for everyone. You can also visit art galleries too. Art is for everyone.  
  • You can start collecting one type of work and it is okay if your aesthetic changes later. This is okay, and normal. When you're starting out, you find your way and that is a part of the journey. You need to love the work you buy. If your first piece of artwork is a piece on paper, 20 years later, it may not be your taste, but at the time you loved it. The strength of an art collection is that it isn't the same as anyone else's. Buy from the heart, and it'll be personal to you. 
• Talk about the art market. 
  • How are prices set? Factor in time it took to produce the work, materials/fabrication costs (a painting has different materials than a bronze sculpture), is it a print or an edition, PR/Marketing, money to install a piece in an exhibition, artist & gallerist set the price. Price should be reasonable & accessible, but allows artist to produce further work. It changes from work to work and from artist to artist 
  • Can you negotiate the price? Usually, yes. Galleries can give discounts, but you've agreed with an artist that you'll sell the piece at a certain price and that they'll make a certain amount from the sale. Gallery could go to the artist and explain the situation to see what the artist thinks. Museums get larger discounts because it is important for artists to have works in museums. 
  • Do different people (regular person walking in vs. museum vs. high net worth collection) get quoted different prices? Always the same. If multiple people want the same artwork, how does a gallery choose who it should go to? It is a negotiation between the gallery and the potential purchasers - it could be who wanted it first (similar to shopping). There could be a bidding war, but it shouldn't come down to the money, but who loves the work and if it would be good for the artist. 
• Museums and art galleries
  • Show how an artist work being sold to a museum ties into market value and respect. The more the artist is collected by museums. A museum wants to choose cultural objects that are historically important. If a museum curator has decided to have the artists work at their museum, there is a reason for that. The artist may have created something culturally, politically, socially, etc. You're in the collection with all these artists and beautiful objects. The more museums the artist is in, the gravitas increases. 
• What does it mean to be an artist in today’s world? Artists respond to their environment and to what's going on around them. It is getting harder for an artist, especially in big cities, because cost of being an artist is increasing. Cost of rents and materials are going up. It is pushing people out of urban spaces. Culture is centered around artists. Movements in history have always started with the creatives - artists, writers, thinkers. There is a lot of material for artists to be inspired by, but cost of being an artist is hard to keep it up!
• What do you wear to an art opening? Wear something you'll be comfortable & confident in, this isn't the opportunity to choose something super unusual for you or too bold. There is almost every type of fashion encompassed in the art world. Dress smart. Evening events are more formal - wear pants, skirt or dress. Maybe a high heel shoe. Probably not a cocktail dress unless it is a gala or fundraising evening. 
• What do you wear as a young gallerist or intern when you are on a budget but are representing your gallery at events, dinners, etc. How do you fit in and feel a part of your gallery and make a good impression without the budget clients have to spend on a wardrobe? Victoria wears white, grey, navy or black. She looks for nice textures to break it up. Balance between basic items: jumpers (sweaters), etc to elevate the look. She wears Joseph, Lemaire, Jil Sander, COS, etc. She wants to be and feel comfortable. 
• British translations! Smart means chic, trainers - sneakers or tennis shoes, jumper - sweater