Is Your First Reaction to a Painting the One to Trust?
Last updated: 28 October 2026
In short: Often, and it is worth testing. In Art Basel's feature on why gallerists make good collectors, Isa Lorenzo of Silverlens says her gallery often ends up acquiring “the work that nobody wanted,” and Nina Johnson calls joy the reason anyone started. People who judge art for a living still buy by attachment. For a first-time buyer that suggests a method: note what you keep returning to, look again on different days, and treat enthusiasm as information.
What do gallerists say about the work they keep?
Art Basel's editorial “Why do gallerists make such good art collectors?” gathers dealers on what they take home. Isa Lorenzo of Silverlens, Manila and New York, says, “Oftentimes, we end up acquiring the work that nobody wanted.” She adds that it is usually “the first piece that the artist made at a breakthrough moment in their practice.”
Nina Johnson, of Nina Johnson gallery in Miami, puts the motive more simply: “Joy is really why anyone ever did this to begin with.” She describes collecting as “a way of showing your artists that you believe in them and in what they're doing.”
Why do dealers buy from the artists they show?
Andrew Edlin of Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York says, “When I work with an artist, I'm all in. I love the work.” For Max Mayer of Galerie Max Mayer in Düsseldorf, collecting began at sixteen: “I started when I was 16 and now I'm 41, so I've accumulated quite a bit.” Johnson points to the long view: “I'm certainly not selling my business to Google anytime soon. So my collection is also what I leave behind to my kids.”
These are people with a trained eye, and what they describe is attachment that lasts longer than a market cycle.
What does the dealer's caution tell a buyer?
Roshini Vadehra of Vadehra Art Gallery in New Delhi offers the counterpoint. “It's quite complex to buy from your own shows, because you can get into a bit of trouble with your favorite collectors,” she says. “They may think you have kept the best work for yourself.” A dealer's own purchase is also a statement of trust, and she knows it will be read as one.
For a buyer, the lesson is that a purchase carries meaning beyond price. It is worth being honest with yourself about what you love and why.
Is the less obvious painting the better buy?
Not as a rule. Lorenzo is describing a pattern in one gallery's collecting, and dealers can afford to bet on what they alone love. A gallery has a roster, a long calendar and other income, and a first-time buyer has one wall.
What carries over is the method. A strong first reaction is real information, and it becomes more useful once it has survived time. The painting that is not the obvious pick in a room is worth a second look, because its pull may have nothing to do with how other people react to it.
How can a first-time buyer test a first reaction?
Write down the three works you keep returning to and what they share: a temperature of color, a scale, the way a mark was made. Look at the one you want in the light of the room it is going into, and look on three different days. Ask to see more of the surface and more of the work around it.
The studio makes that easy. Every finished painting is filmed from several angles before it ships, so you can watch it move in changing light before you decide, and a commission is painted as two finished options at once. Browse available originals, read how a commission works, and learn about the studio. Designers can see the Trade Program.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a painting I will still love?
Note which works you keep returning to, look at the one you want in the light of its room on three different days, and ask for video of the surface in motion. A reaction that survives time is information.
Why do gallerists collect art?
In Art Basel's feature, Nina Johnson says joy is why anyone did this to begin with, and Andrew Edlin says that when he works with an artist he is all in and loves the work. Collecting is also described as a way of showing artists you believe in them.
Should I buy the painting nobody else wanted?
Not as a rule. Isa Lorenzo of Silverlens says her gallery often ends up acquiring the work that nobody wanted, but a gallery can afford that bet. A buyer can borrow the method, which is to take a strong first reaction seriously and test it over time.
Can I see a painting move before I buy it?
Yes. This studio films every finished work from several angles before it ships, so you can see the surface in changing light. Originals ship rolled to a framer near you and are hand-delivered ready to hang.