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LOOKING FOR ART

Most everyone today has some interest in art. Art today is big business there are more galleries, more artists and more art produced today than ever before. More people are buying framing and restoring art than at any other time. Art is an important part of our lives and it makes no difference what type of art you acquire or why you collect it.

It may only be an important part of your decor, or an item that adds color or interest to a wall. It may be your child's first painting, a posters of a place you visited or wish to. It makes no deference weather it is a single item of art, a house filled with drawings, prints, paintings or memorabilia, all the things you like. They are your collection, and there are important consideration in your acquisition, display, maintenance and conservation.

It is most often the purchase of a single item of art, which produces such pleasure, that we become addicted collectors. Over the years it has been my experience, that the most successful collectors are also the most knowledgeable. They have learned about the type of art or artist they were collecting. But whether you intend to be a collector or just want to decorate your house with items of art that please you, the more information you have about what you collect, the better decisions you will make concerning selection, purchase, condition, conservation, and framing.

When art is to be only a decorative accent, you look for size, suitable colors and subject matter, and the art maybe found almost anywhere, gift shop, department store, gallery, antique shop, frame shop, art sale, flea market or auction. You will pay for this art what you consider to be reasonable for its purpose. You are not concerned with longevity or originality. This is wall decor to be changed when you redecorate.

If you intend to keep it, its condition should also be a consideration. This applies to keepsakes, old photos, paintings or drawings by family members, even the art you grew up with. It is not the value but the condition that should be your major concern.

If your interest in art seems to grow and acquiring art has or is becoming an integral part of your life you want value for your dollar. You must be concerned with arts authenticity as well as condition.

STARTING A COLLECTION

Unless your collection has been inherited, almost every collector makes the same beginning mistakes. Some are still making them. The first rule before buying any art should be to familiarize yourself with art and its many variations, spend time in museums galleries and all other places where you can see art, ask questions, read books, learn about why some art is considered so important, subscribe to art magazines. Look at all kinds of art, look at the quality and the price.

Your initial interest in art will most likely change with this exposure. The more you learn and experience art the more defined your appreciation will become; you may even find your interest captured by a single artist, style or period. It is by this exposure and self-education that you will avoid making the most costly mistakes.

Almost with out exception every individual that becomes collector, dealer, or gallery owners have made the same mistakes. These are in four major areas, quality, price, condition, and authenticity. In every instance they could have cut there losses by spending more time learning about art its condition, authenticity, and value.

Inexperienced or beginning collectors buy a lot of art they soon out grow, and many times these inexperienced first purchases have little or no resale value. They may not even be what they were represented as, the condition may be so poor they will not last; they may be over restored to the point that little of the original artist work remains other than the signature and that also may not be right.

If you are interested in art and intend to collect just a few items or a house full you will pay for your education either by the time spent in learning about art or by the mistakes you will make in acquiring it.

THE COST OF COLLECTING

You may find that the art you like costs more than you would like to pay, but the initial price should not be first concern. It maybe an indication of lasting value, especially If the art is authentic and in good condition.

Buying art from established galleries and dealers of good reputation is your best assurance authenticity and condition. Many galleries will guarantee exchange for full at a latter date when you may wish to change or update your collection. Taking advantage of their reputation and experience can be to your advantage, especially if you are not well acquainted with the type, period, or condition of the art. Many times a well known dealers sticker on the back of a painting increased the price, just because of the dealers reputation for knowledge about that artist or period.

The more understanding you have about art the more enjoyment you will gain from it and the better decisions you will make about it.

ART AS AN INVESTMENT

Buying art as an investment is speculative at best. For art to increase in value several things must happen. It must be exposed to the buying public, and a demand created. The artist must produce a sufficient volume of work for it to be recognized as collectable. This means the work must be seen, advertised and become well known. Then as it is promoted and the demand created the price will increase. Or the process of increased value must be left to time and the quality of the work.

In 1889 when VanGogh painted his famous sunflower series few were interested in his work then, but almost a hundred years later when one painting sold for nearly 4 million dollars it created a great deal of interest. Big prices paid for art make big news and the story is even much more fascinating if the art was found in a garage sale or flea market for virtually nothing.

Art can also decrease in value especially when the demand for the art and the increasing prices are the result of very active sales promotion.

Advertising and promotion are a important part of any business and the art business is no exception. But large promotion campaign doses not create good art only sales. A significant demand for anything usually is followed by price increases. This type of active market many times appeals to the get rich quick side of our personalities, but seldom provides the wished for results.

Sense art maybe acquired from almost anywhere it is important that you consider the source. Just because a company is in the business of selling art is not a guarantee that the salesperson knows a great deal about it. Art is a product just like any other and this means having a stock advertising, displaying, promoting, and selling. 

Art acquired from antique shops, flea markets, privet party's and the like are buyer beware sources. These types of businesses do not claim to have more than common knowledge about art. Unless they have made a written claim as to the arts value, condition, authenticity it is buyer beware. 

The truth is most often the art that greatly increases in value, was never collected because there was any though that it would, but only because it was of interest to the purchaser. The occasional story about finding a rare and valuable work of art always makes good reading, but if put in the proper perspective you have a better chance of winning a lottery. Of course the more knowledgeable you are and the more often you look the better your odds.

Many artists copy their own work and it is common to find several authentic paintings of the same subject or view painted by the same artist. These painting usually have an individual caricature all there own as the artist interpreted the light, color, view or mood of the subject.

Art may also be created for decorative sale. Illustrations of popular subjects, executed in colors to complement the current trends of decor. Studios do these decorative paintings where artists are hired to work on a production line. It is also not uncommon for a artist to paint under more than one name. It maybe that the artist has a exclusive contract with a gallery who is promoting their work at substantial prices, and other names are used for work that sells for much less.

Not only is it important to know the origin of the art but its condition, both will effect the price you will pay, but also what you can expect to receive if you ever intend to sell it. Like most everything else the closer to original condition the more the value. 

Spend as much time as possible learning about art, what it is, how it is done, how to care for it, how to frame it, where and how to display it. Art in history is fascinating, its influence on our lives dramatic, it is an enjoyment, even an addiction when you become involved.

The more you know about what you are buying the better your choice will be. If you are like most people your exposure to art has been a casual one, visits to museum, local art shows, a art course in school combined with the occasional visit to a gallery. None of this prepares you to buy art. Art prices are a mystery to everyone that's why we hear and read so much about them.

Your guarantee in buying art from galleries and art dealers is that the art is not misrepresented or a forgery, and at a later date should you find that the art is not what you thought it to be you have recourse.

Buying art is no different than any other purchase. If you only kick the tires at a used car lot you may find yourself with a lemon. If you don't question the salesman as to just what you are buying and how much it will cost you may find you did not get what you wanted at the price you wanted to pay. It is always important to have anything you don't understand fully explained. Don't hesitate to check with another authority when in question. Have it put in writing especially when it involves authenticity, value or condition.

The only guarantee to the successful acquisition of art is to buy art that pleases you, pay for it to the full extent of your pleasure. If it increases in value it is a plus if not you will have gotten your moneys worth from your years of enjoyment.

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