There have been some studies on how different personality types influence how people experience art, style preferences, and perceive the value of an artwork.   These can have an impact on art collectors and buying behavior. It made me curious if research findings would line up with real-world client / dealer relationships.

Two questions to contemplate are:

• How do psychology and personality impact aesthetic experience?
• How can art galleries use psychology to influence art collector’s buying behavior?

There has been a lot written about the obsession or addiction of collectors. Many collectors of art have storage units filled with art.  Those kinds of collectors are not what I’m really interested in exploring here.  Nor are collectors who buy for investment purposes.

Demographics is another influence on the aesthetic experience that I will not explore here.

I’m more interested in art collectors that acquire from their local art galleries and artists because they have a simple appreciation for art, but don’t make studying and buying art a hobby.  Why is decorating their home with original art important to them vs. using décor items or purchasing a mass produced artwork?  What does this say about who they are as individuals and what can we learn about how psychology affects the kind of art they are attracted to?

 

Personality Traits and Collecting Art

Studies have shown that certain common factors of personality types can predict the kind aesthetic experience one might have with a work of art.   For example, people that appreciate straight forward, clear thinking are more likely to be attracted to representational art.

Abstract or complex thinkers tend to prefer abstract or conceptual artworks.   Studies also showed that people with a personality trait of being conscientious were also more likely to be attracted to simple works of art without complex or unclear meanings.  Adventurous or extroverted people however were attracted to complex works of art.

Interestingly, it has been suggested that the key personality trait most strongly linked to collecting art is openness to experiences.   These people are more likely to choose an original work of art over a décor piece.  They have an internal need to explore ideas outside their normal comfort zone and are open to all styles of art; traditional and non-traditional.

 

Perception of Value for Art

How an artwork is presented in the gallery is tied to how a viewer is likely to perceive the value of that art.  Philosopher and psychologist, Jesse Prinz, found in his research that people put a higher perceived value on works that are hung at height that would require the viewer to lift their head upwards slightly.   Large works were also perceived as more valuable.

Both perceived value and appreciation increase when a viewer is allowed to get very close to a piece or even hold the art in their hands.  All of these psychological factors for perceiving value have been recognized and practiced by art dealers and museums for some time because they can have an important impact on buying behavior.  They can be particularly important if you have a small gallery space.

In addition to the physical presentation of art, other factors can also influence a viewer’s perception of value. The reputation of the artist, the rarity or uniqueness of the piece, and the historical context in which it was created can all play a role. Furthermore, the subjective experience of the viewer cannot be ignored – personal taste, emotional response, and cultural background can all impact how a person values a work of art.

Ultimately, the perception of value for art is complex and multifaceted, influenced by a variety of factors both objective and subjective.

Galleries have employed a dedicated, uncluttered presentation space to enable art collectors to view works up close. These tactics are all examples of using the psychology of the art collector to influence business. But there’s more.

 

Using Psychology to Influence Art Collector Behavior

A study was done by David Forbes, author of The Science of Why: Decoding Human Motivation and Transforming Marketing Strategy.   Below is an interesting excerpt about what happens in a person mind when they first see an image.

“In his research he discovered that a person’s brain activity could be segmented on a millisecond-by-millisecond basis.  During the first 50-150 milliseconds, the brain works to recognize what exactly it’s looking at. At 600 to 700 milliseconds, brain activity is centered in the limbic system which is associated with our emotions.  At the 800 to 850 millisecond mark, brain activity in the prefrontal lobes indicates that a person is consciously thinking about the image.  There is a window of opportunity in which an individual is purely motivated by his or her emotional state of mind.”

 I found it interesting just how fast emotions come into play in the thought process of art collectors and buying behavior.   I don’t have to tell you that emotions are tied to the aesthetic experience.  The emotional state of a person when they enter your gallery is out of your control. Ensuring that the gallery space and staff create a welcoming, friendly environment certainly help put the psychological influences in your favor.

Incorporating psychology into your art gallery marketing could improve your results.

Here are some examples of how this can be done with your exhibition marketing.

• Create curiosity and anticipation: Make your prospects curious about an upcoming exhibition by not giving away all the information upfront.  Curiosity captures attention.  Start in advance by trickling out bits of information and visuals leading up to the big event.   The more curious, the more invested and the higher anticipation they will have about your opening event.
• Proved social acceptance: People are often more comfortable in their buying decisions if they have proof that others feel the same way about a product.  In this case, an artist’s work or buying from your gallery over others.  You can provide proof by using testimonials, talking about sold pieces or even having a strong level of engagement online for prospects to see.  Using social proof leading up to an exhibition helps create a perceived importance in the prospects mind about the show and offers validation for purchasing artworks from the show.
• Create urgency: A great way to do this is in your pre-sale efforts for a show.  Taking cues from above, if you can build some anticipation around a show, then when works actually become available to view and acquire, there is already a sense of urgency.   During the exhibition, remind your prospects often of the upcoming closing date.

As we can see, psychology plays an important role both in a person’s taste in art and how they perceive a particular work.  As an art gallery business there are many ways to use those influences on art collectors and buying behavior to increase art sales.  Obviously, there are many other factors that must also play a role, such as education, age, backgrounds, intentions for art purchases, etc.

With all that was explored here regarding the psychology of an art collector and their buying behaviors, what lines-up with your experience working with collectors in your gallery?  What do you think is nonsense?  What strategies have worked for your gallery business?

 

To the Point

The personality traits of art collectors can predict their aesthetic experience with a work of art.  Openness to experiences is the key personality trait most strongly linked to collecting art.

The perception of value for art is tied to how an artwork is presented in the gallery.  Galleries have employed a dedicated, uncluttered presentation space to enable art collectors to view works up close.

Incorporating psychology into your art gallery marketing could improve your results by creating curiosity and anticipation, providing social acceptance, and creating urgency.