How to buy art like a pro art collector – Part 1

Walking through an art gallery and looking at the show, the art is lovely to look at, but have you considered whether you should buy any of the artwork you see? After all, it’s only natural that after walking through a number of art shows, art galleries and even art fairs, the curiosity and feelings you have towards certain pieces of art would lead you consider whether you should buy art and give it a space in your life. As long as you can feel the excitement that art generates in your soul, the opportunity to purchase art is at your fingertips.

Many people are rather daunted by the idea of buying art, even if they really appreciate it, as if they were stepping into a foreign land and embracing concepts that seem bewildering and befuddling. Actually, the idea is not at all foreign if you think of it rather like buying a car: the more you know, the better prepared you are. In other words, do your homework: learn about your tastes, learn about your finances, learn about your options.

If you don’t know what you like, look into any place that displays art and take as much time as you want. Do this over and over again. Look in galleries, museums, local shops, art fairs, artist studios and anywhere else you can just to make yourself acquainted with the artists and styles that interest and excite you.

Take notes. Your iPhone is good for that. So is pen and paper.

Don’t spend more than you can afford. Sure, a Monet or a Warhol looks nice but, if you are like me, the closest you will come to those paintings is looking at them in some museum. Instead, get to know local and regional artists. Its much more important to you than wondering whether you can buy into the collector cult of some world famous artist. At the local and regional level, there are many artists who need your support and there is bound to be someone whose work impresses you. And if the tastes of the local scene runs askew to your likings, many more artists have websites and random searches on the web can steer you in the right direction if you have patience. It’s all about finding what you like and appreciate.

Don’t get caught up the Antiques Roadshow syndrome. Don’t buy a piece because you think it will be extraordinarily valuable years from now. Although many paintings will eventually increase in value, styles change so think about your tastes instead. What do you like and what can you afford. And keep looking.

Purchasing art can confuse people, but many artists are just as confused by it. Artists are told to price their work according to what the market will bear, but what is that anyway? Does anyone know what is the right price? It is only what you, the buyer, is willing to pay and what the artist is willing to accept. And, again, that comes down to what you can afford. If you like something an artist offers, ask the artist what price he or she is offering and if it is too high, ask if you can cut a deal. It never hurts to ask.

On the whole, since most artists are confused about pricing their work, they attempt to seek help. That is probably one of the big reasons artists seek out galleries. But dealing with galleries can be confusing to art buyers who are just cutting their teeth on the process. They can make themselves too exclusive or unwilling to provide answers to questions that a novice buyer would like answered. Also, the prices in a gallery can be much higher than work purchased from an artist as the gallery has overhead, sometimes an unbearable load of it. When an artist uses a gallery, he gets to use their network, something that has taken time for the gallery to collect. Marketing also comes with the gallery’s territory. But not all galleries are impervious to your needs. For every gallery that acts as if it is beyond the reach of mere mortals, there are dozens that cater to people with average budgets. So don’t be afraid of them. They need you as much as you need to learn from them.

Finally, talk with the artists. Don’ be afraid to ask questions, even stupid questions. Some of them may be reticent but that comes from years of lost opportunities. If you are serious about and artist and his work, the conversations you have with him or her will greatly enhance the importance of any piece you may buy.

I’ll go into more detail in this blog on some of these subjects at a later time, but realize that all of this is a connected circle of support and commerce. The works you buy not only provide support and satisfaction to an artist, the work itself provides emotional satisfaction to you. Whether it is a thing of beauty, inspiration or novelty, art will give something back to you that becomes more profound the longer you contemplate it.

Other works of Fine Art you may enjoy:

Under The Christmas Tree