Basics Of Buying Art: Whether You抮e A Pro Or Not

Buying and collecting art intelligently can be done by

anyone. That's right, anyone. You do not need to have

experience in collecting art, previous knowledge about

the art business, or even a degree in art history. The

truth is, all you抣l need is love for and appreciation

of fine art; plus a yearning to collect; lastly,

willingness to learn a some simple techniques that

would help you evaluate any kind of art work coming

from any period of history, whomever the artist is and

whatever his or her nationality is.

Anything Goes

Although you might read some specific suggestions and

recommendations describing specific works of art, you

should take note that there is really no right or

wrong kind of art and that there抯 no right or wrong

method to collect or buy art.

Everyone has the freedom to collect whatever it is

that they feel like collecting and buy whatever pieces

they feel like buying. It doesn抰 really matter

whenever and wherever you feel like purchasing art,

for whatever reason, and for how much you feel like

spending on the purchase. As a result, the following

tips are not for everyone, but are typically designed

for those who want to spend their money wisely on

worth it pieces.

If you happen to be one of those people, then here are

some tips on how you can be a better art collector.

Four Way Questions On Buying Art

If the time comes that you see a piece that you want,

whether it be a painting, sculpture or a print, there

are generally four questions that you should ask

yourself to start your decision making.

Who抯 The Artist?

To answer this, you have 2 reliable sources: spoken

and written information. Spoken info usually comes

from the artist himself, gallery exhibiting the piece

or the dealer. It can also com from other collectors,

friends, family, and other people that are familiar

about the art or the artist being considered. On the

other hand, written info could come in a number of

forms like artist career resumes, gallery exhibit

catalogues, art reference books and exhibition

reviews. How Important Is It?

This could be answered by simply looking at as many

possible pieces done by the artist. Try to be familiar

with the range of the artists?art and see where that

particular piece falls. You can start by asking the

seller to show you a number of pieces done by the

artist, whether original, in print, or in photographs.

Also try to see works from all periods of the artist抯

career; doing this can teach you a lot about the

artwork and the artist at hand.

Where Has It Been?

Third, it抯 also important to know where that

particular piece of art has been. This is done by

accumulating all incidental information about the

piece. It抯 similar to making a biography of the

piece, from its birth, which is the artists?
completion of it, up until the present day.

This can be helpful since good provenance and

documentation can increase an artwork抯 desirability,

collectability, and market value. Having a good

provenance in the art world is analogous to having

good pedigree in the pet world. For example, if a

painting was exhibited at a notable and important art

show, then it is more collectible than a similar

painting that wasn't; just the same with awards and

prizes.

Is The Price Fair?

For this question, it doesn抰 really matter what the

piece抯 value may be in the future, since nobody can

really answer that. What you should want to know is

whether the piece is fairly priced today or not. This

is a very important question, because just like other

services or goods, art can sometimes come overpriced.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.