Like it or not, there is a lot of dreck being sold in art galleries by staffs that know next to nothing about art in general and little more about the work on display. Worse yet, there is work that is being sold as that of a famous artists when it is not. And there are all manner of prints, limited edition and otherwise, which are wildly overpriced and of far less value, on average, than original artworks can be. We shall allow the guilty to remain nameless. For example, in San Francisco our gallery is a member of an organization called the San Francisco Art Dealers Association.
Membership is by invitation only.
Galleries are evaluated on both the quality of the art that they sell and the ethical standards of their business practices. At least one website lists members of gallery associations by city. Second, make some observations. Third, find out the gallery's policies. It's the last free credit in America. . . .