It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or your 40th, every collector experiences a bout of Stendhal syndrome—that rapid heartbeat, slight dizziness and confusion that results from encountering a bounty of beautiful art—upon walking into a fair. With dozens of softly lit booths displaying the best of rare international eye candy, it only takes seconds before even the most seasoned fair-goer feels his pulse quicken as he becomes distracted from his original quest. Where does one begin?

Once only the haunts of upperechelon collectors, fairs today offer a wonderfully egalitarian spirit. The perceived snobbery is gone, and everyone is welcome—buyers and voyeurs alike.

Why Attend a Fair?

Usually held in one of the world’s art capitals—New York, London, Paris—a fair is a gathering where dealers from around the globe bring their finest, hoping to return home with a lighter load. Advertised in daily newspapers, with information available on the Web, fairs are open to the public, with tickets costing upwards of about $15 each.

Serious collectors, gallery owners and museum curators go, of course, to buy. They join art and antiques aficionados as well as beginning collectors who are there to educate and expose themselves to treasures they may have never encountered before—and may never again.

“At whatever end of the market you are in, it’s an efficient way of seeing what’s out there,” says Anna Haughton, who, along with husband, Brian, founded the Haughton International Fairs that show five times a year in London and New York. “Think of how long it would take you to visit these dealers in Paris, Belgium and London—not to mention the expense.”

In recent years, one fair has spawned another, transforming fair-going into a smorgasbord of destination-vacations for arts lovers. For example, visit London during an overlap of seven days in June, and you’ll be able to sample the Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair, the International Ceramics Fair, HALI Antique Carpet and Textiles Fair, artLONDON and Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair.

Buyers can shop the finest fairs with confidence. The world’s most prestigious shows are vetted by dozens of experts before a buyer walks on the floor; this means that the authenticity of a painting or object and its dating and provenance have been verified. It’s not unusual for even the most reputable dealers to have questionable goods rejected from the show floor.

“Strict vetting pushes the quality up,” says Leslie Weller, who for 32 years has served as director of London’s thrice-a-year Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair. “We have a vetting committee of 200 who cover 40 disciplines.” These high standards help level the playing field for experienced and novice collectors alike.  Some fairs have datelines that define the periods of the goods on display. Anything that falls outside a dateline’s parameters won’t be found at the show.

Get a Strategy

Let’s face it: The pressure of rushing to buy at a fair before a competitor snaps up that painting or piece of silver is part of the thrill, and every seasoned collector has a strategy. To this end, Bonnie Clearwater, director of Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art, has developed an Art Basel Miami Beach preparedness class for the museum’s upper-level members ($500-plus annually) who want to learn how to navigate the much-buzzed-about contemporary art fair.

“We tell them how to get the fair map and mark in advance the booths that interest them, so they know what direction to head as soon as they get on the convention center floor. We teach them the etiquette that’s appropriate for putting things on hold and how to ask for a discount. I also encourage them to look for patterns and trends. They just might find a discovery at a good price.”

“I always tell people that if they’re really serious about buying furniture and antiques, do a little reading before you come,” says Diane Wendy, vice president of Wendy Management, which operates East Coast antiques fairs throughout the year. “Then when you find something you love, you can pick it up, run your hand over it, feel it and you’ll know what to look for.”

Keen collectors and VIPs know to splurge on a ticket to a fair’s opening night gala. Held the night before the fair opens to the public, this charity benefit affords them not only a chance to schmooze with other top-flight collectors, but also a first look and opportunity to buy. “If I like something on opening night, I ask the dealer to hold it for an hour or two,” says Martin Margulies, the Miami-based collector who holds one of the world’s finest photography collections.

“At the fairs, you don’t always know what the dealer might bring. It’s pot luck, and if it’s something you like, you yield.” A regular at both Art Basel shows, FIAC and FRIEZE, Margulies says, “You have to be pretty decisive, but if you’re too late, there’s always tomorrow. No one artist makes a collection.”

But sometimes tomorrow doesn’t come. Many booths at both Art Basel shows are frequently sold out before they even open to the public. Sonny Kamm, a top collector of contemporary glass sculpture and porcelain whose 6,000-piece teapot collection is currently traveling the country, says he gets in touch with the galleries that he does significant business with before he and his wife, Gloria, leave their Los Angeles home for their favorite fairs (the International Expositions of Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art: SOFA Chicago and SOFA New York).

“They send me photos ahead of time. Why do I do that? Not just to start thinking, but to become comfortable with the work. It also helps prevent sticker shock,” he says with a laugh. The Kamms, who own works by the likes of Roy Lichtenstein and David Hockney, have their own game plan for the opening-night galas. “We separate and go through the fair twice—clockwise, then counterclockwise. You’ll eye different things that way.” If they are serious about buying, they’ll ask the gallery to hold the item for about 45 minutes.

However, the real fair business, Kamm says, isn’t accomplished when they’re buying on opening nights, but on Sunday afternoons, during the final hours. “It’s quiet and the dealers are relaxed,” Kamm explains. “That’s when the relationships develop.”

Tips for Efficient Fair-going

Ask questions. Dealers always are on the hunt for new clients, and there’s nothing they love more than to talk about their wares.
Use a fair as an opportunity to learn. Discover likes and dislikes, and educate yourself about favorite categories.
Don’t be hesitant to tell a dealer that you have a budget. They just might have something back home that would fit your price cap.
Get it in writing. “Make sure there’s a full explanation of what you bought on the bill,” says Diane Wendy. “That way, if you were to find out it’s not what the dealer says, you do have some recourse.” Sign the guest book with your street and e-mail addresses. Throughout the year, you’ll find yourself invited to openings, and your mailbox will be happily flooded with color postcards bearing artists’ works and brilliant catalogs of treasures.
Keep in touch with dealers. If you’ve bought from an out-of-town dealer in the past—even if it’s a modest purchase—get in touch with them before an upcoming show. At the 2003 New York Antiquarian Book Fair we saw an English rare books dealer pull a stack of 19th-century angling books out from under a table for a loyal customer who sighed and said, “Every year, it’s like Christmas morning.”
Seek out the fair lectures. They are given by renowned experts—museum curators and dealers
If you’re a young collector, attend one of the fairs’ increasingly popular young collectors’ gala nights. Even the grande-dame fairs, such as the Winter Antiques Show and Grosvenor House, offer private nights with gentler ticket prices for the younger set, where the dealers are happy to give a champagne toast to collecting’s next generation.

Fair Calendar

Following is a list of major 2005 shows. Information is not meant to be inclusive and is subject to change. Not all specific dates were available at presstime.

January
Art Miami, 6–10. (866) 727-7953, www.art-miami.com.
Morristown Antiques Show (Wendy Management), 7–9, Morristown, N.J. (914) 698-3442, www.wendyshows.com.
Palm Beach! America’s International Fine Art and Antiques Fair (International Fine Art Expositions), 4–13. (561) 209-1338, www.ifae.com.
 palmbeach3. Contemporary art, photography, functional art. (International Fine Art Expositions), 13–17. (561) 209-1339, www.ifae.com.
 New York Ceramics Fair (Caskey & Lees), 19–23. (310) 455-2886. www.caskeylees.com.
Park Avenue Antiques Show (Wendy Management), 20–23, New York. (914) 698-3442, www.wendyshows.com.
51st Winter Antiques Show, 21–30, New York. (718) 292-7392, www.winterantiquesshow.com.

February
New York Design Fair Sponsored by House & Garden (Wendy Management), 10-13, New York. (914) 698-3442, www.wendyshows.com.
Palm Beach Jewelry and Antiques Show, 18–22. (561) 822-5440,  www.palm
beachshow.com.
The Art Show (Art Dealers Association of America, Sanford L. Smith), 24–28, New York. (212) 940-8925,  artdealers.org.

March
Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair (Spring), 1–6, London. 011 44 20 7370 8211, www.olympia-antiques.com.
TEFAF Maastricht, 4–13, Netherlands. 011 31 411 64 50 90,  www.tefaf.com.
Emerging Artist ’05 (Art & Antiques magazine), 9–13, Scottsdale, Ariz. (770) 955-5656 x131. www.EmergingArtistShow.com. 
New York Armory Antiques & Design Show (Wendy Management), 9–13. (914) 698-3442, 
 www.wendyshows.com.
BADA Antiques and Fine Art, 9–15, London. 011 44 20 7589 6108, www.bada-antiques-fair.co.uk.
The Armory Show, 11–14, New York. (212) 645-6440, www.thearmoryshow.com.
scopeNew York, 11–14. (212) 268-1522, www.scope-art.com.

April
The International Asian Art Fair (Haughton International Fairs), 1–6, New York. (212) 642-8572, www.haughton.com.
Pavillion des Antiquaires et des Beaux Arts, 2–10, Paris. 011 33 1 53 30 85 20
Philadelphia Antiques Show, 9–12. (215) 387-3500, philaantiques.com.
The New York International Arts and Antiques Show (Wendy Management), 15–20, New York. (914) 698-3442, www.wendyshows.com or www.nyinternationalantiquesshow.com.
Art Chicago in the Park (Thomas Blackman Associates), April 20–May 2. (312) 587-3300, www.artchicago.com.

May
Los Angeles Modernism Show and Sale (Off the Wall Promotions), 6–8, Santa Monica. (818) 244-1126, www.LAModernism.com.
Chicago Contemporary & Classic, 6–9. (866) 727-7953. www.chicagocontemporaryclassic.com.
The International Fine Art Fair (Haughton International Fairs), 13–18, New York. (212) 642-8572. www.haughton.com.
photo-london, 19-22, 011 44 20 7839 9300. www.photo-london.com.
scopeLos Angeles, 21–24. (212) 268-1522. www.scope-art.com.

June
Art 36 Basel, 15–20, Switzerland. 011 41 58 206 2706, www.artbasel.com.
ArtLONDON (Ebury Events), 9–13. 011 44 20 7384 3483, www.artlondon.net.
HALI Antique Carpet and Textile Art Fair, 3–13, London. 011 44 20 7578 7215, www.halifair.com.
International Ceramics Fair (Haughton International Fairs), 16–19, London, 011 44 20 7734 5491.
www.haughton.com.
Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair (summer), 9–19. 011 44 20 7370 8211, www.olympia-antiques.com.
SOFA New York, 3–6. (800) 563-7632, www.sofaexpo.com.
The Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair, 16–22, London. 011 44 20 7399 8100, www.grosvenorantiquesfair.co.uk.
The Venice Biennale of Art, mid-June to November 1, 011 39 041 521 8846, www.labiennale.org.

July
Master Drawings in London (Cawdell Douglas), 3–9. 011 44 20 7439 2822, www.masterdrawingsinlondon.co.uk.

August
Monte-Carlo International Fine Art and Antique Fair, 7–15. 011 377 9798 5000, www.antiques-fair.com.

September
New York Armory Antiques and Design Show (Wendy Management). (914) 698-3442, www.wendyshows.com.
Salon des Collectionneurs, 16–25, Paris, 011 33 1 44 51 74 74. www.salondescollectionneurs.com.
Pavillion des Antiquaires et des Beaux Arts, Paris. 011 33 1 53 30 85 20. www.pavilliondesantiquaires.com.

October 
Art Cologne. 011 49 221 821 3215. www.artcologne.de.
Cultura, The World Art and Antiques Fair, Basel. 011 41 61 227 8787.
FIAC, 6–10, Paris. 011 33 1 41 90 47 80,  www.fiac-online.com.
FRIEZE, 21–24, London. 011 44 20 7692 0000, www.friezeartfair.com.
San Francisco Fall Antiques Show. 26–30. (415) 989-9019, www.sffas.org.
scopeLondon, 21–24. (212) 268-1522, www.scope-art.com.
The International Art + Design Fair (Haughton International Fairs), 8–13, New York. (212) 642-8572, www.haughton.com.
The International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show (Haughton International Fairs), 22–28, New York. (212) 642-8572, www.haughton.com.
The LA Art Show (K.R. Martindale). (310) 822-9145, www.laartshow.com.
US Artists American Fine Art Show, 20–23, Philadelphia. (800) 455-8312, www.usartists.org.

November
15th Annual IFPDA Print Fair (International Fine Print Dealers Association, Sanford L. Smith), New York. (212) 674-6095, www.printfair.com.
Asian Art in London, 4–12. 011 44 20 7499 2215, www.asianartinlondon.com.
Connoisseur’s Antiques Fair (Caskey & Lees), 19–22, New York. (310) 455-2886, www.caskeylees.com. 
Ellis Antiques Show, 4–7, Boston. (617) 248-8571, www.ellisantiques.com.
Modernism, A Century of Style and Design (Sanford L. Smith), 11–14, New York. (212) 777-5218, www.sanfordsmith.com.
Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair (Winter), 8–14, London. 011 44 20 7370 8211, www.olympia-antiques.com.
SOFA Chicago, 5–7. (800) 563-7632, www.sofaexpo.com.
The Delaware Antiques Show (Winterthur). (800) 448-3883, www.winterthur.org.

December
Art Basel Miami Beach, 2–5. 011 41 58 200 2020, www.artbasel.com.
scopeMiami, 2–5. (212) 268-1522, www.scope-art.com.

New York correspondent Sallie Brady covers international markets, fairs and art destinations for Art & Antiques.