Why Sports Stars Are Buying Art—Gardy St. Fleur & Josh Baer ahead of Atlanta Art Fair

If anyone can speak to the rising interest in art among sports stars, it's art advisor Gardy St. Fleur, whose education-first, community-centric approach has made him the person athletes call first. Over the course of his career, he's built a practice around studio visits rather than showrooms, working from a conviction Josh Baer heard about years ago from client John McEnroe: the artist alone with the work is in the same position as the player at center court, all the lights on you and nowhere to hide. Gardy joins Josh ahead of the Atlanta Art Fair to talk about what players see in artists, what happens when preview PDFs stop working, and what they're each hoping to find on the ground in Atlanta. 00:00 Intro: Josh Baer and Gardy St. Fleur, ahead of Atlanta Art Fair 00:22 Who the new collectors are 01:45 John McEnroe: all the lights on you, nowhere to hide 02:50 Why galleries still make people feel unwelcome 05:00 Education before the transaction 08:00 Price points, and blowing past your own budget 10:35 Women and Black collectors reshaping the market 12:12 Keith Rivers and the same energy 13:33 Artists taking control of their careers 18:55 "Don't send me the PDFs" 20:15 One lunch a week, fifty a year 21:30 What they're looking for in Atlanta 22:15 Most galleries have a finite life 24:55 Amoako Boafo, and the mistake Josh says he made 29:05 See you October 1st in Atlanta Atlanta Art Fair runs October 1–4, 2026 at Pullman Yards. For more information, visit theatlantaartfair.com. Recorded September 16, 2026, in partnership with Atlanta Art Fair.