Start with Your Heart:
The Art of Collecting Art
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So many times, we've seen people come to the gallery and struggle with their decision to buy a painting. If we say to them, "If you love it, buy it," we sound pushy -- and we don't like to be pushy! If they love it and don't buy it, we end up feeling even worse when they come back to get it and find that it has sold. So we wrote this article as a means of helping our clients and collectors with their decision making ... and of helping ourselves with the indelicate balance of being too pushy or not pushy enough. Enjoy!
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- One Day at a Time: Don’t look at the whole room and think, I’ve got to fill all these walls with art, now! Think about buying a few pieces that you really love and then figure out where to put them. There’s nothing wrong with some empty walls, or you might find some interesting architectural or decorative pieces that you can put up while you are waiting for the right piece of art. You will be much happier living with an empty space than hanging something you don’t love just to fill a void.
- Get Smart: That doesn’t mean take an art history class or read scholarly books about art. It means go out, look and listen, so that you can build a discriminating eye. Visit art galleries, museums, art shows, artists’ open studios and art fairs. Talk to the artists and gallery owners and ask questions about the art. Get familiar with the lingo. Look at the price ranges and ask the gallery owner to explain an artist’s price history. The more you see, the more you will come to define your own taste preferences, which could be as vague as “I’m drawn to paintings with lots of sky” or “I prefer watercolors.”
- Match the sofa: Whoa! Isn’t that the cardinal rule to break? You can’t be serious! Actually, we are and here’s why. It’s natural that you want nice pieces to look good together and there’s an art to editing as well as collecting. So if a piece looks fabulous with the sofa, hang it with the sofa. But here’s the kicker: Don’t buy it because it matches the sofa; buy it because you love it. And then you will learn something very interesting that we have proven true over and over again. If you love it, it will work with everything else that you own. So don’t be surprised if it matches the sofa!
- Know when to pounce: When you feel your heart being tugged, when you dream about a painting, when you think, “I love it but I don’t know where I’ll put it” – then probably you should buy it. Because art is one of a kind and you won’t find it again. A true collector knows this and a true collector has probably suffered from “procrastinator’s remorse” – a rare disorder that occurs when you’ve wanted something badly, and it got away from you.
- Something Old: As you build your collection, no matter what your taste in art, give it some depth and soul by adding a few wonderful old pieces. It doesn’t matter if they are significant works from a reputable gallery with a recorded provenance or crusty old pieces that you’ve found at a yard sale. Mix them in with your contemporary art and see how one makes the other sing.
- Something New: Stretch yourself. That’s right, go for something that is risky, unpredictable, mysterious or challenging, something that you may not entirely love at first sight and watch it grow on you as you get to know it better. They say that when you eat, you shouldn’t stuff yourself. With art, we believe you should be left a little hungry … so that you can get to know a piece better over time. We think it will fill your soul as you get to know it and enjoy it and love it over time.
- Something Borrowed: If you’re not ready for the big purchase yet, perhaps you should date a little, and try a few things out before you make your investment. Several galleries offer art leasing programs which enable collectors to take a painting out for several months, and pay a monthly fee. When the lease is up, you have the option of buying out the painting, or returning it for another.
- Something Blue: Art, like fashion and design, has certain styles that go in and out of popularity. For example right now, we are seeing more abstracted work, freer brushtrokes, more drips and texture, in softer, muted tones. Trends often vary by region too, with some markets, like New York and L.A., more cutting edge than the rest of the country. It’s important to be aware of the trends but don’t become a victim of them. Whenever in doubt, let your own heart be your guide.
- Something Tried: Try it, live with it and hopefully love it. But if your taste changes down the road, don’t berate yourself. If your love is waning, we encourage you to try a few tricks with your older piece of art. Reframe it; move it; hang it with something completely different. Most likely, it will come back to life in a new setting or new frame. But if not, there are ways of dispensing with art, and some will be beneficial to both the community and your tax returns.
- Something True: It all comes down to this. Go for love. Listen to that little voice that tugs at you and try to hear what it’s saying. There are so many reasons for loving art. Sometimes it’s the association with the place we bought it. Sometimes we’ve met the artist or we just appreciate their talent. Sometimes art reminds us of someone special. Sometimes we just like the colors. Sometimes wit puts us in a mood. Sometimes we are just in awe. And sometimes we have absolutely no idea.
Art is so personal and unique, that we believe the only magic formula for collecting art is to start with your heart. |
Examples of "Something Old" that we've recently brought back from France.
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