Comments on: “Collecting” Art on the Cheap

by: fineartathome

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:04:25 +0000

Who wouldn’t like to own a Rembrandt or a Pollock? That’s simply wishful thinking for everyone but the largest museum or corporate icon. But for the rest of us there is much affordable original art available that can still astound and satisfy, if you’re willing to search for it. Ignore the snobbery and collect what YOU like, not what others say you should like.

Thanks for the article!

MikeV

by: Nicholas Forrest

Mon, 21 May 2007 03:12:12 +0000

I think that the term art collector can be applied to people who purchase cheaper emerging artworks just as much as those spending millions.

http://www.artmarketblog.com

by: Ian

Sat, 12 May 2007 17:46:51 +0000

I can definitely see where Maggie’s coming from… she’s basically making a distinction between “Art Collectors” with a capital “A” and capital “C”, and the bigger group of people (the hoi polloi perhaps?) who collect art. And it’s an easy enough point to understand.

2 points though:

1) Maggie severely limits the motivations of collectors in the most unsatisfying ways, making them seem like homogenous drones responding purely to economic concerns.

2) she makes the mistaken assumption that all good art (or work from good artists) have to be expensive when she says “Collections like that don’t come cheap”. Of course any good collection should contain pieces whose monetary value is bolstered by demand in the market. But one should always keep in mind the fact that prices for each artist’s work will take time to rise… and if one’s lucky, a small-c-collector might hit the jackpot by acquiring pieces from a potentially well-known artist while they are still affordable.

by: Jen Bekman

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:31:13 +0000

Hi Maggie… I’m glad you enjoyed the article, although I have to say that I vehemently disagree with how you define a collection. The idea that people buying affordable work shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves collectors smacks of elitism.

Naturally, some people collect for the reasons that you cite, but it’s a very specific set of people who do. (And I would argue that the current vogue of buying art solely based on its perceived value is having a corrosive effect on the art world.)

I sell work to all kinds of collectors for a wide range of reasons. I’m always most satisfied however, when someone adds something to their collection because they love AND they believe that it will have enduring, perhaps increasing, value.

Also, there’s no reason to believe that buying work from emerging artists won’t result in a collection that appeals to art experts. Many of the finest collections have been accumulated by people who had an excellent eye and not an enormous amount of money.