Collecting art

[(poco) Sforzando]

We have had several threads on "art you like," but I cannot recall any discussion here on collecting art per se. I myself have been collecting on a modest basis for close to ten years, and I have a number of reasonably priced but in my opinion very nice pieces of art (as well as a number of things I now regret buying, including one painting that makes its current home at the back of a closet). If this thread attracts any interest, I'll post links to images of my favorite acquisitions a bit later. I'll also post a little article I wrote for another website (and just now revised) entitled "Collecting Art on a Budget." You can also Google that title and find links to additional resources. But for now, a poll on your attitudes towards collecting art.

[Todd]

I sort of collect some art.  From time to time, I buy my wife traditional oil paintings centered around a recurring figurative theme she likes and I think we are up to a half dozen similarly themed originals.  All are affordable and by basically no-name artists.  (One, Donelli di Maria is a sort-of name, but more for his research at IBM than in the art world.)  My personal tastes tend toward darker and more abstract and mostly modern works, and I've collected about eight works that adorn my stereo room.  I have a mix of media - oil on wood, reverse glass painting, monoprint, photos.  The two oil on wood works are by a Vietnamese-American artist whose name escapes me now, and the paintings are dark themed and dark hued.  I hemmed and hawed about another of his works that I could have afforded, though it was at the very edge of my budget, and when I went back to the gallery, the painting was gone.  Three of the photos I have are by Xavier Nuez.  Last time he was in town, I bought from him - I only buy from him when he is here - and told him it was my third photo, and he said one more and I could have a showing.  One other large photo was taken by a former coworker who makes part of his living as an artist.  It's two photos of mundane objects (a water fountain and a window) combined to make a wonderful, abstract "What the hell is that?" type of piece.  I've perused galleries, both online and in person, and I've found that my taste very quickly exceeds my wherewithal.  I haven't looked in a while as a result.  I can only afford to support poorer artists.

[kishnevi]

My approach is much like Todd's although far fewer pieces.   The lack of wall space to hang them has always had an impact.

What I have bought, is from local art shows, and the most expensive one was something on the order of $100.   Totally obscure artists,  small dimensions to the paintings, and the most recent purchase was a few years ago,  and consisted of glicees instead of actual oils:  which allowed the cost to be considerably less.


And not a few things hanging on my wall are genre landscapes my mother bought years ago, which she kept for the supposed value, and some genre photographs of Venice backstreet canals I got at Bed Bath and Beyond.   The one most commented on by visitors is a mass market Chinese scroll painting for which I paid $1 at a junk sale and then reframed to hang in the living room.

[Artem]

I'd love to see the art that you guys have at your home.

I've been thinking about buying some original art, but it is a bit hard to find a piece that I'd like and also trying to imaging it at home.

[NikF]

I've a few original pieces. Most of them were purchased as a result of my ongoing interest in a simple and honest (and therefore, beautiful) stage lighting technique known as the 'McCandless Method'. So they're mostly by artists who are scenic designers or who began in that field. They include two sketches by an artist named Mario Vellani Marchi, both of which I received as a gift from my late wife's father.
I haven't bought anything in a long time and I've no plans to do so in the future. But I've still an active interest and I particularly enjoy the work of the Russian avant-garde during the early 20th century. There's a design sketch by Lyobov Popova for Meyerhold's Production of 'Le Cocu magnifique' that's I've always found direct and straightforward and elementary, and so I would like a print of it - but I've never been able to find one

[(poco) Sforzando]

Good start so far. I'll say more about my own collection later, but first (as threatened above), here is an extensively revised version of a guest post I wrote for a personal finance blog back in 2010, entitled Collecting Art on a Budget:

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Chances are you've got some free wall space in your home and wonder what you can do with it. You can always hang posters from a museum or photos of Aunt Nancy, but another approach is to display original art. Yet many people shy away from this, feeling the art is too expensive or too risky to buy since you don't know if what you're getting is genuine or if it will increase in value.

Let's face it, very few of us will ever have the wherewithal or the connections to own work by truly famous artists, and if a "Picasso" or "Matisse" happens to fall into your hands, there's a good chance it's a fake. But there are many interesting artists out there, and with a little understanding of the art world almost anyone can acquire at least a few pieces of art that are both satisfying and original. And you can also take pride in knowing you're supporting an artist you like and the art world in general.

Everybody has their own likes and dislikes in art, and I'm not here to tell you mine or try to influence yours. Whether you're interested in drawings or paintings, figurative or abstract, you can buy good-quality original art for relatively low prices. I've spent as little as $50 on fine-art photographs, and two of my favorite ink drawings cost me just $175 each, framed, from a reputable New York gallery.

Value. So are these drawings going to be worth 100 times as much in 20 years? Probably not. Unless you're really well off and an established collector, you're not going likely to acquire investment-quality art either by living or classic artists. Top dealers reserve their best work for their favored collectors, and even if you have a few million to spare, you're not likely to get the latest Jeff Koons or a museum-quality Matisse.

The best strategy in my opinion for buying affordable, good work and avoiding fakes is to buy living, "emerging" artists who are just starting out and therefore less expensive than they may become later. I emphasize "may" because there's no guarantee your purchase will increase in value, and a good chance it won't. With thousands of artists and dealers all trying to sell art, prices are unregulated and highly volatile even for the "best" work, and collectibles cannot be included in an IRA or other investment plan. So in my opinion, if you want to buy art, buy it because it's something you want to look at and you expect to continue enjoying as time goes by. If it increases in value, that's great, but that's not the reason to buy.

Basically you can buy art either from dealers at galleries or art fairs, or from the artist direct – often over the Internet, but also at local arts or crafts fairs.

Galleries and Art Fairs. Big cities are the ideal place to find galleries, such as New York's Chelsea district which stretches from about 18th-30th Streets west of 10th Avenue. But galleries can be found almost everywhere. The stereotype of art galleries is that they're snooty places where you'll be sized up as an impoverished peon and treated accordingly. No doubt this is true if you wander into a high-priced temple like Gagosian or Pace in New York City. But in fact there are all kinds of galleries, with some cold and distant while others are warmly welcoming. How you're treated depends a lot on your attitude, too.

Galleries are stores, no doubt about it, but they usually don't mark prices directly on or near the artworks. Instead you can find a price list, with red dots signifying pieces that have been sold. Typically galleries show a single artist or a group of artists for about a month at a time, and each artist gets an opening reception that anyone can attend for free. But galleries also keep a larger selection of works in inventory, so if you can't get to an artist's show, you can usually still buy a piece you like if it's still available.

If you buy from a gallery, your purchase price includes a good-sized percentage paid to the dealer. Don't begrudge this. A good dealer is not just a middleman; he/she is also a manager, marketer, educator, career developer, art handler, and more. Most dealers will offer an interest-free purchase plan for 3-6 months and some will give you a discount. But don't expect this on your first purchase, and it's best to let the dealer offer it rather than asking for it. If buying on installments, you generally must pay in full before taking possession.

Pricing often depends on the artist's reputation, but also on the size of the work and medium used. Oil paintings, especially large ones, are generally the most expensive works, and prints and collages considerably more reasonable. Prints, photographs, and lithographs are generally issued in limited editions, which means a set quantity of the work is created before the edition is closed. Do not assume the numbering within the edition has any bearing on quality; for example, in an edition of 25, number 24/25 is just as worth acquiring as number 3/25. This is because in a multi-color work, each color is applied in an arbitrary sequence.

As for art fairs, they are all the rage these days and can be good places to buy or just visit. At a fair, multiple galleries (as many as several hundred) gather on a given location such as New York or Miami and offer large quantities of art for sale. The granddaddy of New York fairs is the Armory Show in early March, which is geared to the very rich, but you can spend a few hours there for a small admission charge and no one cares if you take a few photographs. A more reasonable option in New York is the Affordable Art Fair (http://affordableartfair.com/newyork) held each spring and fall, where you'll find reputable dealers selling work for as little as $100 (though prices top at $10,000; in the art world this still counts as "affordable"). I especially recommend New Grounds Gallery (http://newgroundsprintshop.com), which visits twice a year from Albuquerque and offers excellent prints at reasonable prices. They also sell on Amazon. The best day for getting a good deal (though perhaps not the best selection) is the last day of the fair, as galleries may prefer unloading inventory at a discount to packing it for shipment back home. A drawback is that installment arrangements are unlikely, as the fairs work on a cash (or credit)-and-carry basis.

But I would avoid galleries in airline terminals, near hotels, in high-priced tourist districts, on cruise ships, etc., as they are usually traps for the unwary. If the gallery claims it's selling Picasso, Matisse, Norman Rockwell, Thomas Kinkade, Chagall, and the like, it's likely to be a tourist trap selling overpriced fakes, and I would stay away.

Artist Direct. If you don't have any decent galleries in your area, you can buy through gallery websites or use the Internet to buy from artists direct. Many artists can't or don't want to get placed with galleries, and instead they choose to go it on their own using personal websites or on-line artist marketplaces. This has the advantage of bypassing the dealer, which can lead to lower prices. But since you're not viewing the art face-to-face, it's a good idea to check the artist's return policy in case of shipping damage, or if the piece doesn't satisfy you when you get it. Do not, however, try to buy direct from an artist represented by a gallery in an effort to avoid the dealer commission, as this can create real problems for the artist-dealer relationship.

Many on-line artists offer works identified as "digital" or "giclee" prints. These are computer-generated prints and are often of very good quality, but they're not truly originals. Still, they can be a good, economical compromise if you don't have much money. Several good sources for on-line purchases are www.etsy.com, www.20x200.com, and www.artsy.net. You'll find art on eBay too, but be careful unless you're buying direct from the artist. There are lots of scams and fakes on eBay, and as an example, a dealer I know who sold a work for $100 from his gallery found it listed as "buy it now" on eBay for $700.

Framing and Care. If the work is offered framed when you buy it, it's worth whatever extra you might have to pay, as you're assured it will be properly framed and ready to hang. Not all work needs to be framed, but works on paper (drawings, etchings, lithographs) should be, and they need special care to be framed under UV glass or plastic that doesn't touch the paper directly, and to be secured to the backing with properly designed hinges that don't damage the paper. There's nothing wrong either with keeping unframed art in a drawer to look at, so long as each piece is protected in something like a glassine envelope and you don't pile too many pieces on top of one another.

A nice piece of art deserves care in your home. Handle the work with cotton art gloves (very cheap at www.misterart.com), as oils from your hands can be damaging. Hang larger pieces on two hooks, and as a rule hang your pieces at eye level. Keep the art out of direct sunlight, and avoid areas of high humidity (near the sink or shower) or excessive temperatures (fireplaces, cold basements, hot attics, exterior walls). Do not use any of those little "art lights" that can damage a piece through excessive heat. If photographing your treasure, avoid flash, as bright light is also injurious. (Many museums allow photography even of priceless works, but they always insist on "no flash," a policy which careless visitors routinely ignore.)

There's a lot more that could be said, but I think this covers what's most essential. If you want to learn more — especially about other types of collecting like Japanese prints, native American, African art, etc. — a good book for further reading is Lisa Hunter's The Intrepid Art Collector. But nothing beats going to galleries, hanging around artist websites, and breaking the ice by buying your first drawing or painting. Art collecting can become an addictive habit, but even for people of modest means it doesn't have to be a budget-busting one.

[James]

I haven't read the thread closely yet, but I love and appreciate many painters, illustrators (including comic art), sculptors .. I stick to high quality prints (which are pricey, considering quality of print, mats, framing, sizing) and I have a few favorites (Rembrandt, Gerome, Frederic Watts, Grimshaw, Giger, Homer, Bocklin etc.) within the house. Allposters.com is a good site for this, though they don't have everything - there things I'd love to have but they are hard to locate for a reasonable price while having all those options that Allposters has.

[Brian]

Circumstances are conspiring against me - a 600 sq. ft. apartment with a fairly open floorplan and two walls that are all windows, plus budget - but I plan to get into art collecting in a small way. Sfz's essay is very helpful with this kind of thing and luckily it both outlines the strategy I had in mind, and fortifies it with new ideas. There are some quality galleries in the Dallas area, but the real treasure is an old warehouse (the Continental Gin Building) that has been converted into over 50 artist studios. Twice a year, the artists all open up to the public for a weekend of laid-back viewing, chatting, and shopping. There are some crazy things in there, and some crazy artists (I once got trapped in conversation with a woman who was very, very enthusiastic about various mystical healing properties), but also some stuff that is on my shopping list. Leonard Volk is an 88-year-old who got into photography in 1950 and has made it his full-time retirement gig. Matthew Cusick cuts up old maps and assembles them into representational collages - I think the sea waves are the most interesting.

For now, my home gallery is all in the family! There are two paintings by my mother, who has a pretty good abstract eye for vivid color and a sense of movement and activity. And a series of photographs from my own world travels. Right now I'm in the living room; Mom's painting is in front of me, and to match its fiery red borders, the photos I picked for the wall behind this couch are of a rose bush in Warwick (which is in Google Street View, though not in bloom) and of a pond reflecting bold sculptures by the Chihuly studio.

Once, in Comfort, Texas, I discovered a toilet sitting in front of someone's house, the tank converted into a flower pot, with massive cacti growing out from the seat. I took a picture of the toilet, framed it, and put it right across the bathroom from my own toilet for the amusement of guests.

[Luke]

Once, in Comfort, Texas, I discovered a toilet sitting in front of someone's house, the tank converted into a flower pot, with massive cacti growing out from the seat...

The image that conjures up certainly doesn't sound much like comfort to me...

[(poco) Sforzando]

The image that conjures up certainly doesn't sound much like comfort to me...

But it might remind you of a comfort station . . . .

[André]

I own all of 3 paintings. That's all my house walls will support. None of them is on the net, but the artists are. Here are some paintings that may give an impression of their work and the paintings I own:

Pauline Gagnon:



Sylvain Tremblay:



And Pauline T. Paquin

[(poco) Sforzando]

Circumstances are conspiring against me - a 600 sq. ft. apartment with a fairly open floorplan and two walls that are all windows, plus budget - but I plan to get into art collecting in a small way.

Brian's plaint reminds me of the Vogels, Herb and Dorothy, two odd married birds who became legendary in the world of art collecting. Herb worked as a postal clerk, Dorothy as a librarian, and despite limited means and a tiny NYC apartment they eventually amassed a collection of close to 5000 pieces of art. One could describe them as collectors, hoarders, just plain meshugginahs or some combination of all three, but when they were finally persuaded to donate their collection to the National Gallery in Washington and to 50 museums nationwide, it took several huge truckloads to remove it all from their home. Two documentaries were made about them, and I spoke to them briefly at a screening of one of them where they participated in a Q+A session. I wanted to know from Dorothy if she thought a career like theirs would be possible today, and I don't think she really understood the question (answer, according to me: No). As for Herb (who died in 2012), this was our conversation:

ME: I'm a bit of a collector myself. So far I have about 25 pieces of art.
HERB: That's not much.

Brian is concerned with wall space and budget, but works can be displayed on shelves too, and I have a couple I've stood upright on endtables in the living room. Very nice small pieces can still be had at modest prices. Just last week at the spring Affordable Fair in NY, I purchased a lovely framed print by Sonomi Kobayashi, 4"x3" image size, 8"x6" framed, for $120:

[Sergeant Rock]

I'm a very modest collector and getting too old and decrepit to consider adding much more. Most of the art that hangs from my walls or occupies space on my shelves are inexpensive mass-produced prints and my own photographs and drawings. There are a few exceptions, bought from artists. For example, these wine themed pieces: a rare species of wild tulip in a Rheinhessen vineyard; and a Pfälzer image of the "Kingdom of Heaven" by another local.







I also have some paintings by relatives. My great uncle Heinz Hesse painted this in Ohio (during his only visit to the USA) in 1954:





And my grandfather painted this while he was a student in Magdeburg after his service in the Great War (obviously inspired by Böcklin but with a bit more life in it  ).




Here's my sketch of Robinson Jeffers' Hawk Tower in Carmel California (not great, I know, but of nostalgic value).





Sarge

[North Star]

Finances dictate that I'm not collecting art at present - other than on my hard drive, and in the occasional book. It's actually cheaper to buy a National Gallery book on late Rembrandt with a dozen essays by experts than to buy even one Rembrandt. Shocking, I know. My parents have a fair share of paintings, picked up on holidays, concert trips etc mostly. And some Helene Schjerfbeck replica wall plates too. nothing of particular monetary value, though.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Finances dictate that I'm not collecting art at present - other than on my hard drive, and in the occasional book. It's actually cheaper to buy a National Gallery book on late Rembrandt with a dozen essays by experts than to buy even one Rembrandt. Shocking, I know. My parents have a fair share of paintings, picked up on holidays, concert trips etc mostly. And some Helene Schjerfbeck replica wall plates too. nothing of particular monetary value, though.

I believe I have anticipated and answered most of your comments in my long essay above, should you care to read it. I have tried to suggest that for the same amount of money you would spend on a dozen CDs, you can acquire a piece of original art by an interesting living artist, and you will have the pleasure of knowing you have a work that is one of a kind, as well as providing support to a living artist. But there are other affordable areas where a person of modest means can collect - Japanese prints, for one. The rarest of these in pristine condition can cost many thousands, to be sure, but I have acquired a few very nice ones that have cost in the $100 (USD) range. Of course you're not likely ever to own a Rembrandt or a Matisse. Forget about major names for the average collector. But the whole thrust of my argument has been that, if you know what you're doing, original art is more affordable than most people apparently assume.

[North Star]

I believe I have anticipated and answered most of your comments in my long essay above, should you care to read it. I have tried to suggest that for the same amount of money you would spend on a dozen CDs, you can acquire a piece of original art by an interesting living artist, and you will have the pleasure of knowing you have a work that is one of a kind, as well as providing support to a living artist. But there are other affordable areas where a person of modest means can collect - Japanese prints, for one. The rarest of these in pristine condition can cost many thousands, to be sure, but I have acquired a few very nice ones that have cost in the $100 (USD) range. Of course you're not likely ever to own a Rembrandt or a Matisse. Forget about major names for the average collector. But the whole thrust of my argument has been that, if you know what you're doing, original art is more affordable than most people apparently assume.

Oh, you are absolutely right, and I find nothing to disagree with in your posts. Yes, Japanese prints are certainly a good suggestion for affordable art.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Brian's plaint reminds me of the Vogels, Herb and Dorothy, two odd married birds who became legendary in the world of art collecting.

I see on re-reading that my response to Brian was probably even more incoherent than usual for me. I did not intend to compare him to the mega-collecting Vogels (who, as I recall, eventually starting storing art in trunks, in the bathroom, on the ceiling, and perhaps other unlikely places besides), but only to suggest that a small space and modest means need not necessarily deter one from acquiring some pieces of original art.

But on to a few images from my own collection. I will start with these and perhaps add more later:

Daniel Zeller: "Invasive Seclusion." This is one of my more expensive pieces, and I bought it from Pierogi Gallery in Brooklyn over 12 installments. I love it for the exquisitely detailed line work and the resemblance to topographic maps, and it is perhaps the first thing I'd save if the house caught fire:



Shane Hope is an artist I have referred to as a digital Jackson Pollock. I have three of his pieces, all different, and he became well-known for huge computer-generated laminated prints based on biological molecules. I'll post a sample later when I'm back home. The piece here was generated by a 3-D digital printer, and he attaches all the little pieces to a plastic substrate:



Julie Evans: "Egg," a collage assembled from mylar pieces on paper. I would encourage you all to look her up to view her amazing drawings (all way beyond my means).



Christopher Reiger: "Further Murmuration." A "murmuration" is actually a flock of starlings. I so badly wanted the original, but I didn't like the gallery's terms and someone else finally go it. Fortunately Chris issued a limited edition giclee set (which is probably still available), and for $150 I acquired a print almost indistinguishable from the original. Commenters have written: "He is to my mind one of the few people out there who is able to successfully explore the interstices of nature and spirit in endlessly surprising and beautiful new ways." And: "I really liked Further Murmuration, which is nearly monochrome, mostly negative space, and positively beautiful in its tiny clockwork miniature perfection. His sensitivity in handling the watercolors here is nothing short of sublime. I've held a baby bird in my hand and this painting feels the same."



Toshikata: "Playing the Koto." A beautiful 19th-century Japanese print. I kept seeing copies on the Internet, but they always got away. Finally I got a copy from a dealer in Milan, Italy.



Eric Fertman is primarily a sculptor, with a comic sense that reminds me of Philip Guston. But at one of his shows he also exhibited a set of nine drawings he called his "Lumps," and I bought two of them for $175 each framed. A steal.



Ray Maseman exhibits with New Grounds Gallery, which I've mentioned above. He does marvelously detailed colored etchings, of which I've got three hanging as a set above my dining room sideboard:



This exquisite etching by David Avery, which I also bought from New Grounds, is actually tiny, only 4" tall image size. I can't imagine how he does it.

http://www.davidavery.net/prints/dreams.html

Natasha Newton: "The Pattern of the Earth IV." Perhaps a bit facile, but I think beautiful nonetheless. She has her own shop on Etsy, and is a very friendly and charming young British lady:



An amazing pencil drawing by Rodger Stevens. What does it remind you of?



Shane Reilly, "Monoliths." I don't have a lot of sculpture, but these extraordinary pieces by Shane Reilly, very heavy for their size, are quite affordable. I have two, and I'll have to ask him if he has any more for sale.

http://www.reillyworks.com/monoliths.html#.VwpnfP_2Z9M

The Trinidad-born artist Duane Hosein is somewhat uneven, but at his best he comes up with these half-animate, half-mechanical, wonderfully titled beasts like "When Poseidon Came to Town, the Virgins Left Soon After." I only wish I had bought more, as his prices have tripled since, but you can find inexpensive giclee prints through his Etsy shop.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duanehosein/2151788021

Enough for one post. Those of some of the highlights. Perhaps more later.

[kishnevi]

I am quite taken with some of those works, especially (you may note) the Reiger.

[Luke]

I'm lucky in that my family has a few artistic connections which have enabled me to own some nice pieces without actually having to pay for them    (Though I hasten to add that none of these pictures are worth more than a few hundred £ at most) So, I've got:

A sketch for a mural by Charles Mahoney (google image search results for a sample of his style). The mural-sketch is similar in style to this one:

but smaller and, to be honest, much nicer. It is of the Muses.
I also have also a large plant drawing by him, very similar to this one:


A large pastel by Felix Gluck (can't find an image of anything of his which is similar to my pastel, though)

A sketch of cows by Sierk Schroder, who was my great-great uncle (my parents have a large number of beautiful paintings by him - google image results here, and this is his portrait of Haitink). The sketch is similar to this little painting in its simplicity and intimacy, though it is just in pencil


Also a small engraving by Edwin Smith, who was an artist in his youth before he became a very well-known as a photographer (his various books on different aspects of English architecture were very popular). This is the picture in question - here - the gallery website won't allow me to link the image into this post.

Also an abstract by this painter, Liv Goode, a family friend. (link is to the gallery of her work on her website.)

My aunt is a professional artist, too, and I have a couple of things by her. She lives in the rural north of England and specialises in animal art (sheep, dogs, foxes, horses etc), splitting her work between paintings of animals in their environment and sculptures of them. There are plenty of artists who work in this sort of subject area, but I've always thought her work has a passion and and integrity that is rare. She lives and breathes it...

My mother is an amateur painter, but a good one (IM unbiased O!) and I have quite a number of her things. Among them is a portrait of me by her which I actually really like, in that it genuinely looks like me (in my pre-beard days, but with the first growth appearing...), and yet somehow it also manages to look nice - seen with a mother's understanding eye, I suppose!

A few other paintings by google-able artists, too, e.g. this one - this is the painting of his I have:

[(poco) Sforzando]

Thanks, Luke. Some nice stuff there, such as your g-g-uncle's work. (And indeed, one way to collect art on a budget is to get the work thanks to family ties!)