Art fairs run on urgency. Everyone knows it. The first two days decide the mood, the numbers, the morale. After that, it becomes visibility, conversations, selfies, networking. Real business is front loaded.

Which is why the practice of “holding” works has become a quiet disease.

Buyers, collectors, architects, consultants walk in early. They identify what they want. They ask galleries to keep works aside. They want time to think. To compare. To consult a client. To check wall measurements. All fair on the surface.

The problem begins when commitment has no weight.

A gallery holds three works for a collector on day one. Serious enquiries come in. The gallery declines because the works are “reserved”. By day three, the collector vanishes or decides against the purchase. The gallery has lost prime selling time. The momentum is gone. The psychological heat around the work has cooled. That loss is real money. For a smaller gallery, it can define the fair. For an artist, it can mean rent, studio costs, production budgets.

This behaviour is casual. It is careless. It is unethical.

An art fair is not a trial room.

When someone asks to hold a work, they are effectively removing it from the market during the most critical window. That act carries responsibility. You cannot block inventory in a high pressure sales environment and then shrug it off.

What makes it worse is power imbalance. Emerging and mid sized galleries feel pressured to agree. They fear offending a potential long term collector. They fear losing access to a consultant’s client list. So they comply. And they pay the price.

The larger galleries can absorb the hit. The smaller ones cannot.

Let’s call it what it is. If you consistently ask for holds and then walk away without communication, you are exploiting the system. You are using your perceived buying power to secure optionality without consequence. That is not collecting. That is hoarding opportunity.

The art world likes to speak about relationships, community, support. Those words ring hollow when basic professional ethics are ignored.

There are practical solutions.

First, no holds without a deposit. Even a small non refundable percentage changes behaviour. It filters intent from impulse. If someone is serious, they will commit.

Second, strict time limits. Twenty four hours. Forty eight at most. After that, the work goes back on the wall.

Third, shared information within the fair. Chronic offenders should be flagged internally. Not publicly shamed, but noted. Patterns matter. If a buyer repeatedly blocks and backs out, galleries should know.

And the fair organisers cannot stay neutral. They curate the ecosystem. They set VIP policies. They manage access. They benefit from sales numbers. They must create a framework that protects exhibitors, especially the smaller ones who take financial risks to participate.

If fairs want credibility, they need sales protocols.

Collectors also need to examine themselves. Buying art is a privilege. It is not a game of musical chairs. When you place a hold, you are affecting a chain of people. The artist who has worked for months. The gallery that has invested in the booth, shipping, staff, travel. The assistants who rely on commission. This is not abstract.

Art fairs are expensive. Booth fees, transport, insurance, production, hospitality. For many galleries, one fair can equal months of overhead. A few lost early sales can push the balance from survival to deficit.

The irony is that serious collectors understand this. The most respected buyers are decisive. They ask questions, they think quickly, and when they say yes, they mean it. That clarity builds trust. Galleries prioritise them in return. Everyone wins.

The art market talks about transparency and professionalism. Then it tolerates informal “soft holds” that cost real money.

Enough.

If you want a work, commit to it. If you need time, pay for that time. If you are unsure, step aside and let someone else decide.

And galleries must grow a spine. Desperation creates bad precedent. A polite but firm sales policy protects everyone. You are running a business, not a storage facility for indecision.

Fairs need rules. Galleries need boundaries. Collectors need accountability.

Otherwise the people who can least afford the loss will keep carrying it.