FOR those paralyzed by the fear of galleries and large expenditures, below are a few tips from art consultants and other experts.
Shop Online
TINYSHOWCASE.COM Offers a quirky selection of small, inexpensive art and letterpress prints.
LITTLEPAPERPLANES.COM Limited edition prints of contemporary drawings and paintings starting at $20.
GIANTROBOT.COM Eclectic art and prints from a store that specializes in Asian and Asian-American pop culture, from $5 to $1,000.
CEREALART.COM Multiple-edition sculptural objects by established artists like Kenny Scharf and Takashi Murakami, from $100 to $20,000.
20X200.COM Offers two new high quality prints a week in limited editions.
WHITECUBE.COM Limited editions by well-known figures like Damien Hirst and Sam Taylor-Wood from a major London gallery, starting at around $250.
Buy From Arts Organizations
BLINDSPOT.COM Limited-edition photographic prints, 11 by 14 inches and 16 by 20 inches, starting at $700
APERTURE.ORG Limited-edition photographs from $350 to $25,000 that you can browse by price, category or photographer.
PRINTSHOP.ORG Single pieces and complete installations by emerging artists from the Lower East Side Printshop, from $1,500 to $10,000.
WHITECOLUMNS.ORG Specially commissioned editions by emerging and established artists from $150 to $1,500; work can be viewed online and ordered by phone or e-mail.
Try Fund-Raising Auctions
Fund-raisers at hospitals, private schools and other organizations often auction work by emerging and established artists at cut-rate prices, as do arts organizations like the Kitchen in New York (thekitchen.org).
Attend Art Fairs
Public art fairs — small, neighborhood events and large shows like the Affordable Art Fair in New York (June 12 to 15, aafnyc.com) — allow visitors space and time to figure out what they like and to buy in a shopper-friendly environment.
Attend Thesis Exhibitions
The chance to discover artists before their work hits galleries. In New York, Cooper Union, Columbia, Hunter College, the School of Visual Arts, Parsons and Pratt all have such shows.