Nighthawks, Edward Hopper
The art community is a marketplace and the primary function of this market, with its wide varieties that caters for every conceivable taste in art, is to make profit. The artists need to sell their paintings to pay for their living, family, materials and other personal needs. The art dealers and art galleries need to sell and promote as many pieces of works as possible to make their profit margin to support an elite lifestyle. Art organizations and art teachers and critics have their supporting job to do which is to promote their particular type or brand of art which pays their salaries. All these different aspects of the marketplace compete with each other, with competing claims of successes. There is of course the glamour attached to big investment of any sort including art.
Under these competitive art market conditions, it may seem daunting task for a new collector. But those who have been in the art market earlier they may also find their positions threatened or undermined by competitors. On top of this there is the current worldwide financial crisis which has damaged the confidence of many investors. However, in good or bad times, there will always be those who enjoy collecting and investing in art.
Start off with a clear mind by separating a passion for art and that of aiming to make money in your art investment. First you are buying an artwork or object because you love and want to live with it in your home or office and not just something you think may one day increase in price. But if you were lucky the artist’s works do increase in value and well that’s a bonus.
There are now many art galleries in the city and also many online art sites that offer art for sale. Check out as many of these art establishments as you have time for and after a while you’ll get a picture of the wide varieties of artworks on offer. Each art dealer will only have good words of advice if you are buying from their stable of artist in under their contract. But soon you’ll get an idea of the kind of art that appeals to you and the price range you have in mind.
Find out a bit more of those few artists works that you like and learn more of the artist’s background and what they have been up to and where and how they trade their works. Find out from other fellow collectors what the market conditions with regard to pricing are, is the prices getting overtly inflated and if so who the people behind the scene are. This is not an easy task and you are getting into the usual unscrupulous side of business.
When you have finally decided on the artist and their brand of work and the price you are happy with, what is there to look out for in an artwork? What are some of the artistic qualities of an artwork? Not every piece of artwork by the artist is of equal quality.
Look carefully at how the lines, shapes and colours combine in a particular way which attacks your eye. Are these line, colours and shapes relating well with each other or are at odds with themselves? Are the lines clear or tentative? Has the artist make the paint’s colour thick or thin or juicy? How are his control of the material and the general composition of this visual contraption, is it strong and clear or weak and uncertain? Is this object well made with sound materials and construction?
What do you like most of this artist’s work and what kind of aesthetic emotion it convey to you? Do you get a happy and cheerful or a sad and dispirited feeling when you are in front of this particular painting? Does this work invoke the erotic, the intellectual or simply self-indulgent childish emptiness? Does it need to say anything besides the relationship of lines, shapes and colours?
Well there is a bit of work to do in collecting art. But what ever art that turns you on and you are on your way to collecting and living with art. Enjoy…
Start your collection of our famous oil painting reproductions to decorate your home.
