Let’s stop pretending it’s harmless. When gallerists approach artists from other galleries to “just have a chat” or “maybe do a one-off,” it’s not casual. It’s calculated. It’s poaching. And it’s gutting whatever’s left of professional ethics in the art world.
The same goes for seasoned collectors who know exactly how the gallery system works—who it protects, what it sustains—but still try to buy directly from artists behind their gallery’s back. Don’t act naive. This isn’t about saving commission. It’s about power. Control. Cutting out the structure and making the deal sweeter for themselves.
It’s a betrayal on multiple fronts. For the artist, it breaks trust. For the gallery, it undermines years of investment—financial, emotional, logistical. For the ecosystem, it creates suspicion, encourages opportunism, and flattens professionalism into hustle.
Let’s be clear: if you’re a gallerist approaching an artist already represented without full transparency, you’re not being smart. You’re being shady. If you’re a collector trying to bypass a gallery for a better price, you’re not being loyal to the artist. You’re just cheap.
And artists—this matters. Who represents you and how they are treated sets the tone for how your work is valued, circulated, protected. Every time you sidestep your gallery to close a deal or flirt with a rival one without clarity, you erode the support system that’s supposed to have your back when things go south.
Poaching is not strategy. It’s theft. It’s lazy, short-term, and corrosive.
The art world doesn’t need more players. It needs more principles. If you can’t deal clean, don’t deal at all.