Starting an art collection can feel intimating no? All those different mediums, subject matters, price ranges not to mention snooty gallery owners. Minefield!
Bit it’s also a wonderful world in which to delve and discover. You donât need to be a billionaire to start an art collection. Nor do you need to have oodles of knowledge about art. You donât even need to book a flight to visit all the major art fairs â its only a click away. You can buy art like furniture online and just like furniture it can be returned if it doesnât match your expectations. Not just that online sites are an easier way to spot emerging talent, so you donât need to worry about being on the circuit there is no circuit!
First things first:
So where to start?
There are lots of different ways to begin, you can start as simply as buying what you love, or you can research and develop some background knowledge about art. For me Iâm going with the first one!
Be confident
Art is subjective,  there is no right painting or wrong one  so banish all those I donât âI know anything about artâ  fears, go with your gut!
Buy to keep
The simplest thing to do is buy something because you love it, that way it will stay with you forever. I never buy to flip it, I buy because I love it, I buy to keep.
Donât be afraid to experiment
A truly great collection is one that excites you, takes you out of your comfort zone even, never remains static and constantly evolves. Lets say you have a penchant for seascapes in oils (not sure why but hey)! Rather than having every wall filled with seascapes you might want to add some pen and ink sketches, some kids art, a bit of graffiti, a photograph even.
Start now
Forget dilly-dallying and literally start now. Anna Johnson wrote in the Guardianâs culture blog in Australia âthe first commitment to a work of art will be the most daunting. As in love hesitation is lossâ.
In other words start now, couldnât have said it better myself!
Where to go
Hereâs the fun bit  you donât need to hope on a plane to visit Art Basel| Miami| Hong Kong , you donât need to scour LAâs bursting gallery scene (as cool as that all sounds)  it’s literally only a click away.
My go to sources
Artfinder.com; 2846 artists from 60 countries
Artfully Walls â affordable prints from up and coming photographers, illustrators and painters
Artspace.com; a digital marketplace from artists and galleries around the world
Artsy.net; 140,000 plus artworks by 25,000 plus artists. Itâs one of the largest collections of contemporary art available on-line
New Blood Art;Â specialises in original artworks by emerging artists
Paddle8.com; an online auction house with monthly themed auctions
Saatchi Art:Â A fab selection of drawings, paintings, photography and sculpture in all price ranges
Auction houses are a great resource. Theyâre are not all selling Hockneyâs, Legers and Chagallâs. Iâve picked up some incredible pieces; a huge oil that looks super Bacon esq ( £80), a pen and ink drawing for £30, a faded out old portrait £50. Auction houses do a lot of their bread and butter business selling moderate pieces of work. Not many people realise that but they do! Added plus you can see it all online and even bid on-line!
Why collect at all it?
Well from experience I can tell you it makes all my spaces more complex, sophisticated, intriguing  and purposeful. Itâs addictive, its hugely exciting and itâs a bug.  Once youâre bitten by the art bug there is no gong back!
By the way the beautiful art collection on the banner belongs to Andi Potamkin, photography Graham Atkins Hughes.
Happy Collecting!
Comments (0)
Back to Abigail Ahern's Blog