How to Choose a Tampa Art Gallery (and What a Private Viewing Is Like)
Search “Tampa art galleries” or “art exhibit near me” and you will find plenty of names and addresses. What is harder to find is what it is actually like to walk in, and how to tell one gallery from another. So here are both: how to choose a gallery you will feel good about, and what a visit to ours looks like.
What makes a gallery worth your time
A gallery is not just a place with art on the walls. It is a relationship with people who know the work, the artists behind it, and what a piece will be like to live with for years. The best ones make that easy to see before you ever spend a dollar.
Tap each card as you ask it. If a gallery answers all six easily, you are in good hands.
None of these questions are rude. A gallery that is proud of its work expects them, and the answers tell you more than the wall labels do. If you are new to all this, our guide to how original art pricing actually works is a good place to start, and so is what a Certificate of Authenticity actually protects.
What you will actually walk into
Marcolina’s shows work by appointment. That does not mean it is stuffy, and it does not mean you need to know anything about art. It means the visit is set up for you, and you will be greeted by Marcolina. Here is what that looks like.
Free. No catch.
All up to you. A few minutes, an hour or two, or more.
Come solo, bring a partner, or bring a friend.
We share the location when you book.
Work from all our artists. It changes, so you never know what you will see.
Tell us the style or artist. We will pull it, and we can send you pictures too.
Work from all of our artists is up in the showroom, across painting, sculpture, photography and more. If there is a style or an artist you have been curious about, tell us and we will pull it so you can look at it properly.
You will find a lot of our artists’ work on this website, but it is only part of what we have. Always ask if you want something like a piece you saw, or just more to look at. We have a full inventory behind what is online, and we can pull pieces and send you pictures, or show you in person or by video, whichever you prefer.
Home of the BravePainting by Guillo Pérez 3
FragmentBronze sculpture by Gina Novendstern
CentennialPhotograph by James LueddeThat is a painting, a sculpture, and a photograph. We also show encaustic and mixed media. Ask us for a style you like and we will show you more.
A private viewing, step by step
The phrase can sound formal. It is not. It is simply a visit where the gallery is set up for you, not for whoever walks in next. Nobody is watching a clock, and nobody is hovering.
Request a viewing, in person or virtual. It is free.
An artist, a style, or the wall you have at home.
We take a piece off the wall and show you the sides and the back.
How it was made, what it is painted with, pricing, payment plans.
No rush, no pressure. Decide when you are ready.
Can’t get to Tampa? The virtual version follows the same steps, with close-up video of the surface, the edges and the back, presented personally.
Many people find this easier than a crowded opening, because there is no crowd around you while you decide. And because the work is shown in person or by video, you see what a photo can never show: how the paint sits, how the edges are finished, how a piece changes in the light. We wrote about exactly that in how to tell if a painting is well made.
Questions people ask before they visit
No. Not a thing. Come to look, ask what you want, and leave with nothing but ideas if that is what you want.
Of course. Bring a friend, a partner, or your decorator. Many people like a second opinion.
Then you take your time. There is no pressure and no deadline. Go home, live with it for a while, and come back when you are ready.
Yes, we love that. Send us a picture of the wall or the room, and tell us what you like. We will help you lay it out and suggest which pieces would look right there, based on your style.
Want to see us before you book?
We also hold openings and events, and you do not need a private appointment for those. The easiest way to catch them is to follow us on Instagram and watch for our posts and newsletters. In the meantime, you can meet the full roster and see each artist’s style on our artists page, and see what we have shown on our exhibitions page.
Every original at Marcolina’s comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, payment plans are available, and pieces ship worldwide with full insurance. We are based in Tampa, with collectors on six continents, so the same care applies if you are across town or across an ocean.
Meet the artists and browse original work →
New to collecting? Learn how it actually works →
Marcolina’s Fine Arts Gallery is Tampa Bay’s leading contemporary fine art gallery, representing original work across painting, sculpture, photography, encaustic, and mixed media. Original works by Guillo Pérez 3, Willy Pérez, Ailene Fields, John Gurbacs, Elizabeth Fontaine-Barr, Blake Emory, Greg Latch, and other represented artists. Private viewings by appointment. Ships worldwide.