ART COLLECTING:
Art for Beginners I
magine you are out on a casual stroll or with friends when suddenly something catches your eye. You start to experience a shortness of breath, sweaty palms, and an elevated heart rate. It feels like you have just been hit with a ton of bricks and time has come to a halt. Suddenly nothing around you matters. You need to get a better look, so you get closer. Subtle at first, so you can sneak a peek out of the corner of your eye, but just when you can not take it anymore you decide to face it head-on. Much like falling in love, discovering a work of art can stop you dead in your tracks. It consumes every fiber of your being and you can not get the image out of your head until it is yours. Buying your first piece of art can be a tricky thing, but luckily these tips should help that piece transition from a wall in a gallery to a place inside your home.
Show me the money With something as subjective as art, there can be a lot to learn about how galleries determine a painting’s value. To ensure that the cost associated with a work of art matches its value, be sure to purchase from a reputable art gallery that can not only trace the provenance of an artwork, but provide evidence to support that the price matches the demand for that artist or particular painting. Ideally, it should always go back to simple principles of supply and demand. At the end of the day though, art is not about the value it holds on the market but the value it holds to you. If you have become enamored with a piece that is well over your budget but are still dying to get your hands on it, do some research. Talk to the gallery and ask if they offer payment options such as layaway, credit, etc. Put down a deposit and work out a payment plan until the piece is paid off.
What’s what
Depending on what type of painting you may be buying, be sure to know what you are getting. An original painting may cost you a bit more than a print or a reproduction, but that is only because the artist worked directly on it. An original differs from a commission in that an original can be replicated and sold as a print in a limited or open edition, whereas a commission is one of a kind, exclusive to the owner. All originals should come signed by the artist so be sure to look out for their John Hancock. If purchasing a limited edition item, make sure it comes with a certificate of authenticity which will have the edition number information. Art collecting is an opportunity to learn about yourself. As your collection begins to grow, you will start to see a pattern
EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIONS GALLERIES
If you have grown to love an artist’s style but have yet to find a piece that speaks to you, you may want to think about commissioning a painting. This would ensure that the artist creates a custom painting specifically to your tastes and liking. It may take a long time, but having something truly unique is worth the wait.
“Each time you purchase a piece of art, you’re investing in a piece of
history and in another person’s life.” —Diane Overmyer
in the type of pieces you like or the artists you prefer. Once you are able to express what you love in a work of art, an art dealer or consultant will be able to help you seek out and acquire pieces to your tastes. Your collection is an extension of you, and the larger it gets the more pronounced it becomes. Purchasing art should never be done for any reason other than for the emotion it evokes in you. By collecting, you become a part of something greater. In addition to the time and effort that was put into the piece, it carries the artist’s heart and soul. Each piece has a story to tell and it will continue to tell that story, even long after we are gone. If you are still unsure or do not know how to start your collection, be sure to stop at any one of our four fine art gallery locations and talk to a consultant.
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Time is of the essence Living in a technologically-advanced world, we are confronted with mass-produced items on a daily basis. Art, however, is not one of those items. Certain works of art may only be available in limited editions or are truly one of a kind. In cases such as these, putting off a purchase until later may not be a good idea. With limited editions, prices tend to rise as quantity begins to taper. Buying an item when it first comes out instead of right before it sells out can mean paying anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars less. Also, once a work is sold out completely, it may never be available for purchase again and you may have missed your chance.
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