French term (edited): acheter à l\'oreille

3. Buy with your eyes and ears. The old chestnut of “buy what you love” is generally terrible advice for new collectors. They do not know enough yet to know what they really love, so they can waste a lot of money on infatuation. If the amount of money a collector is thinking about spending on a work of art is not meaningful to him, and if it fell dramatically in value, he would not be fussed, then he should go ahead and buy based on presumptive love. But before buying something that is financially meaningful, he should seek input from those with more knowledge and experience. Input can come from many different places: a local museum curator, other collectors he has gotten to know, an art advisor. He needs to listen carefully to what is both said and implied, because most people are reluctant to “call a baby ugly.” Ears are sometimes more important than eyes when buying art.

https://dougwoodham.com/blog/2017/10/23/wisdom-from-seasoned...

One of the main takeaways of the night? Buy with your eyes, not with your ears. This is something many of the seasoned collectors adhere to. Newer art buyers tend to look at who’s hot in art and think of investing in big names on the scene. This a serious mistake, according to a number of collectors.

“Now, they don’t even look at what they’re buying, they just buy for the name,” says Paulino Que, who’s been in the game since the ‘70s.

https://www.townandcountry.ph/out-about/arts-culture/art-fai...



Use Your Eyes, Not Your Ears
Having a plan is helpful in a market where everyone is urging you to buy. “It’s very hard as a new collector—and even for a savvy, experienced collector—to stave off the temptation to shop with your ears, especially when you enter this market knowing nothing,” said Moskowitz. At an art fair, every gallery is going to have a pitch. Every dealer will claim to be selling you “The Next Big Thing.” Don’t be bewitched by the words if you’re not in love with the work itself. “You have to shut out the noise and focus on what you’re looking at,” said Nussbaum.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-discover-taste...