What an Art Collector should know before starting an Art Collection

There is no recipe of how to become art collector, but there are steps and requirements an art collector should meet in order to enjoy appreciation and respect. These recommendations include how to select the right collection item, what does a good art investment mean, what are the main ingredients of a collection and last, but not least, how to select the artist.

What art piece to buy?

Believe it or not, you should really like a painting you buy. Do not buy something you do not understand or sympathies with just because friends or so called connoisseurs like it. Similarly to any other hobby or job, a successful art collector is the one who enjoys his activity.

What artist to buy?

At this point you should take the advice of an art professional, because the popularity of a certain
artist may not mean all his work is outstanding, while other, less known artists may create works of an inspiring beauty and extremely valuable in time. You should come across as many art pieces as possible to have a large perspective on the market before acquiring anything.

What to look for in a painting?

The value of a painting is determined by the way its consisting elements are combined. These elements include material, shape, color, lines, brightness, rhythm, tone, topic etc. However, it may be hard for you to recognize an original and authentic art combination right from the start. You may need to build a certain experience in analyzing various art works and compare it to critics’ opinion before trusting your own taste blindly. There is also the chance you have a born call for art and painting and recognize a valuable piece with that sixth artistic sense.
If you have it, enjoy it! If not, educate it!

What makes an investment profitable?

First of all, an investment is profitable as long as it is legal and not the subject of various felonies. To ensure the legal origin of a painting you are recommended to buy it from an officially authorized dealer such as an auction house, an art gallery or even an art consultant mediating a deal, for example.

Secondly, a profitable investment means an advantageous trade. A favorable negotiation is possible only when you possess all the information about the art piece and the market. Considering the value and popularity of the painting and the tendencies of the market, you can set a price in your favor.

What does a collection need to be valuable?

If you own more than two paintings, it does not necessarily mean you own an art collection (this is my case, too). Excluding pecuniary and psychological factors differentiating an art collector from another, the basic requirement for a collection is to have a theme. The simple ensemble of paintings, with no relation to each other whatsoever, will never be a collection and certainly never valuable either. Yet, when you set a topic of your collected paintings, the collection itself is more than the sum of paintings, it becomes valuable in itself. Themes and topics may include nuds, abstract paintings, erotic, lacquers, portraits, landscapes, but also country, artist, a certain age or character etc.

Great recommendations and advice come from specialized people who are always updated with art’s newest trends. Being an art collector is neither easy nor cheap, therefore asking a professional may turn out the best thing to do more often than not.

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