The vernissage and the fair
The art market has codified everything down to the size of bags. The fairs publish their conditions of entry and their prohibitions; the vernissage, for its part, follows customs no one writes down. Both can be mastered.
What the institutions publish
- Frieze London & Frieze Masters. The first day of the fair, Wednesday 14 October 2026, is reserved for invited guests only, and Thursday from 11:00 to 13:00 remains reserved for members and guests before general admission.
- Frieze London & Frieze Masters. Any bag or object exceeding 40 x 20 x 40 cm is refused at the entrance, and backpacks that are admitted must be carried by hand, never on the back.
- TEFAF. Photographs are permitted at the fair only for personal use and in connection with the possible acquisition of a work, without flash, without telescopic camera equipment and without any video recording.
- TEFAF. Visitors may be subject to a body search by specially trained staff, and refusing to submit to it may result in being denied entry to the fair.
- Art Basel. Any live broadcast or streaming from the fair's venues is forbidden during Art Basel Miami Beach, and publishing the image of another visitor requires their express permission.
- La Biennale di Venezia. The standard ticket is valid for a single admission to each exhibition venue: leaving the grounds means one cannot return with the same ticket.
Each rule is taken from the document published by the institution, consulted at its official address on 27/08/2026.
Custom, according to the house
At a vernissage, one looks at the works before looking for faces. One never negotiates a price aloud: one approaches the stand and asks for the list. One monopolises neither the artist nor the gallerist, and red dots are discussed on the way out, not in front of the artist.
On the radar