How do I collect art?

However you want! Sometimes a collector’s consideration is the feel of the home, sometimes it’s with the hope to accrue a valuable set of works, sometimes it’s because a piece is a meaningful reminder of a trip to a beautiful city, or the way you felt a certain day. But, there are a few useful guidelines as an introductory jumping point if you intend to collect works you may eventually sell.

Broadly speaking:

Paintings are generally more collectible than prints. Paintings are what we call original works, and might be oil on canvas, masonite, or wood, or acrylic, or gouache, or pastel, or watercolor, or alcohol inks, or tempera, or mixed media, and on and on! Prints are impressions or multiples of the original image that can similarly vary from woodblocks to linocuts to lithographs to silkscreens to giclees to aquatints to etchings to engravings to monoprints and so on! Some prints may be signed, maybe by hand, or maybe in the image itself. The signature could be the artist’s, or an assistant’s, or a forger’s! It might be numbered, or an Artist’s Proof. It might be a page torn from a book that looks like something two hundred years older than it is, until you magnify. It might be a Picasso worth thousands. Sculptures can similarly be originals, or reproductions. A real Remington is a horse of a very different color than a little cowboy on a marble base, even if otherwise visually almost identical to the novice. When dealing with art, it’s vital to have good information. The right information can lead to wonderful new appreciation or valuation for the work, and the wrong information can lead to the charity shop (sometimes the best place!), landfill, or to a lot of regret for selling at a bad price. Know what you have, and feel informed in your decision-making. Contact Us about an online appraisal for your art and antiques today!