Editor’s note: Art Business Brief is produced for paid Art Marketing News subscribers. Occasionally, I make an edition available to everyone so all readers can see the kind of practical art-business intelligence the Brief provides. This is one of those editions.
This edition points to something more encouraging than another headline about million-dollar auctions. Collectors are showing greater interest in getting closer to artists, one regional fair is demonstrating what artist-first economics can look like, and an online gallery reports substantial activity among new buyers at accessible prices.
There is also a practical warning. Holiday shipping costs are rising, and the highest costs will fall on the oversized packages artists are most likely to underestimate.
1. Collectors are buying more directly from artists
The Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting found that studio visits experienced a greater rise in attendance than any other art event it measured, including exhibitions, fairs, auctions, and biennials.
More consequentially, buying directly from artists—through studio visits, Instagram, and commissions—more than tripled as a share of collector spending, reaching 20%.
This does not mean galleries are becoming irrelevant. Nor does it establish that the same percentage applies across the entire art market. The survey covers high-net-worth collectors, whose resources and buying habits differ substantially from those of most art buyers.
Still, the direction is worth noticing. Collectors are not only seeking objects. They are showing greater interest in the artist, the studio, the story, and the experience surrounding the work.
Why artists should care: Independent artists often assume they are at a disadvantage because they lack gallery representation or access to prestigious fairs. Direct contact may already be one of their advantages.
The finding also supports a point I made recently in “More Competition. More Opportunity”: greater access to art creates more competition, but it also creates more ways for artists and buyers to find one another.
An open studio, a personal reply, a conversation about the work, or an occasional look behind the scenes can provide something a large marketplace cannot easily reproduce. Everything good that happens in an art career begins with a conversation, and the collector research suggests that more buyers want to get closer to where those conversations begin.
What to do: Make it easy for interested people to take one reasonable step closer. That could be a studio appointment, a small gathering, a thoughtful Instagram exchange, a commission conversation, or an email invitation to see new work.
Signal: A meaningful shift in collector behavior, though measured among affluent collectors rather than the entire buying public.
Confidence: High on the reported survey findings; medium on how directly they apply to Main Street buyers.
Source: Art Basel, “Are experiences the new luxury good?”
2. BUTTER shows what an artist-first art fair can produce
The sixth annual BUTTER Fine Art Fair in Indianapolis sold 107 artworks for $298,918. Artists received 100% of artwork sales under the fair’s no-commission model.
The event presented work from 53 exhibiting artists, 13 student artists, and nine galleries. More than 9,000 people attended. Across six years, BUTTER reports more than $2 million in artwork sales, 347 participating artists, and 30 acquisitions by 17 institutions.
Those are substantial results for a regional event built around living, working artists.
The qualifications matter. The organizer reports the numbers, but they don't tell us how many artists sold nothing or what the median artist earned. One artist sold 24 pieces, which demonstrates why an average cannot describe the typical participant’s experience. We also do not know the full cost of producing the fair or how dependent the model is on sponsors.
Even with those limitations, BUTTER changes the usual allocation of risk. Most fairs collect booth fees before anyone knows whether buyers will arrive. BUTTER uses sponsors, community partners, institutional relationships, admissions, and programming to help finance the marketplace while returning artwork revenue to artists.
It also does more than assemble art in a room. Free admission for people under 18, school visits, educational programming, a Collectors Club, institutional participation, and continuing online availability all help develop future buyers.
Why artists should care: Artists can choose among available fairs, but organizers and communities can also build better fairs. The responsibility for generating sales need not rest almost entirely on individual exhibitors who have already paid for the privilege of taking the risk.
The thing beneath the thing: BUTTER is not simply a no-commission fair. It deliberately brings working artists, institutions, sponsors, and ordinary buyers together—and treats artist income as part of the event’s purpose.
Signal: A documented six-year regional model, not yet an industry-wide change.
Confidence: High on the structure and reported aggregate sales; medium on the outcome for a typical participating artist.
Source: BUTTER’s September 10 results
3. Singulart reports a substantial influx of new buyers
Online gallery Singulart reports that 76% of its buyers in 2025 were making their first purchase on the platform. Those new buyers accounted for almost half of all purchases.
Price appears to be an important part of the story. Thirty-five percent of purchases were below €500, and 56% were below €1,000. Singulart also reported a 39% increase in sales of limited-edition prints and lithographs between 2024 and 2025.
This is company data issued in a promotional press release. It does not prove that 76% of all online art buyers are first-time collectors, nor does it tell us whether a buyer was purchasing art for the first time anywhere or merely making a first purchase through Singulart. It also says nothing about the buyer’s age, income, or homeownership.
It does, however, provide evidence that one large international platform is attracting many new customers and making a significant share of its sales below €1,000.
Why artists should care: Accessible work can give an interested person a way to begin. A small original, drawing, photograph, or well-produced print is not necessarily a lesser version of an artist’s work. It can be the first work someone feels comfortable buying.
The point is not that every artist needs to lower prices or begin producing editions. A first purchase carries uncertainty. Clear prices, understandable choices, credible presentation, and an attainable starting point can reduce that uncertainty without diminishing the work.
What to watch: Whether Singulart releases more information about repeat purchases, buyer retention, artist earnings, and how sales are split between original work and editions.
Signal: Strong platform-specific evidence, but not a market-wide finding.
Confidence: High that Singulart reported these results; medium on what they suggest beyond Singulart.
Source: Singulart, “Is Art Only for the Rich? New Data Says No”
4. Holiday shipping increases have begun
The U.S. Postal Service’s temporary holiday prices took effect October 4 and will remain in place until January 17, 2027.
Retail Priority Mail increases range from 50 cents for a light nearby package to $9.10 for a package weighing 26–70 pounds traveling to Zones 5–9. Retail USPS Ground Advantage increases reach $7.50 for distant packages weighing 26–70 pounds or classified as oversized. A Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box costs an additional $2.10 during the holiday period.
FedEx’s holiday demand charges began September 28. Packages subject to Additional Handling carry an extra $8.80, rising to $11.85 from November 23 through December 27. The holiday Oversize Charge is $95.75 and rises to $117.25 during that peak period.
These charges are especially relevant to framed paintings, large prints, and sculpture. An artwork may not seem unusually large until padding, corner protection, and a sturdy outer box are added. Carriers calculate rates from the finished package, not the art's dimensions.
Why artists should care: A shipping amount calculated during summer may no longer cover a holiday order. The risk becomes greater when an artist advertises free or fixed-price shipping before knowing the buyer’s location.
What to do: Measure and weigh the packaged work, obtain a current quote, and check whether additional-handling or oversize charges apply. For large or distant shipments, quoting shipping individually may be safer than relying on a standard amount.
Signal: Confirmed seasonal cost increase now in effect.
Confidence: High; actual charges depend on the carrier, service, package, destination, and any negotiated rates.
Sources: USPS 2026 holiday price schedule and FedEx demand surcharges
What these developments have in common
The strongest thread is not that everyone has suddenly become an art buyer. Buyers appear more willing to begin or become involved when the distance between themselves and the artist is reduced.
Sometimes that distance is personal. A studio visit or direct exchange helps the buyer understand the artist and the work.
Sometimes it is financial. An accessible original or edition gives someone a manageable place to start.
And sometimes it is structural. An organizer such as BUTTER can build the sponsors, programming, institutional participation, and buyer development that allow artists to meet the public without carrying nearly all the financial risk themselves.
None of these developments promises an easy sale. They do suggest that helping people become comfortable enough to buy art may be as important as putting more art in front of them.
About this Brief: I researched and wrote this report with AI under my direction. I select the subjects, guide the research, review the sources and claims, and curate and approve the final report.
I use this information to inform my advice and writing for Art Marketing News and to help artists stay aware of developments that may affect their careers. I believe becoming a student of the art business helps you make better-informed decisions and become a more well-rounded working artist.