Passion and Instinct
Collecting Art
“When you stand in front of a work of art in a museum or exhibition, the first two questions you ask yourself are normally 1. Do I like it? and 2. Who’s it by? When you stand in front of a work of art in an auction room or dealer’s gallery, you also ask yourself the same two questions first; but they are followed by others, rather less noble-minded, such as: how much is it worth? How much will it be worth in five or ten year’s time? And, what will people think of me if they see it hanging on my wall?” — Philip Hook
Without a shadow of doubt, the art market can seem an incredibly daunting prospect. Collecting art is a marker not just of adulthood, but of a more elevated level of adulthood; like whisky and cigars, it’s something people often feel inclined to try, even if they’re not quite sure why. One consistently seems to read of the stratospheric prices fetched by significant works from blue-chip artists that make collecting appear a hobby for the Russian oligarchy (or Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian who famously purchased Modigliani’s Reclining Nude (1917) for over £130 million on his Amex in 2015) and well outside the realm of mere novice enthusiasts. Woody Allen tended to make fun of art galleries, as a preferred backdrop for pretentious conversations and who can forget the pomposity of Jake Gyllenhaal’s bespectacled art critic Morf in Dan Gilroy’s Velvet Buzzsaw (2019). However, in no way is art collecting reserved for those with millions of pounds to spend on the likes of Picasso (1881-1973), Bacon (1909-1992) and Warhol (1928-1987) — the majority of people, including some very serious collectors, began their collections with £1000 or less. Everyone can enjoy buying and owing art in affordable way, from limited edition prints to original works by young and emerging artists.
Collecting should come from a very personal place and whatever the medium, the key is to choose something you love and to buy with confidence. Whatever the piece, be it a painting, print or sculpture, it should speak to you personally. Perhaps it’s something you studied, or has cultural relevance, in terms of family and background (for e.g. former MTV executive Bernard Lumpkin has built one of the most vibrant private collections of work by artists of African descent as a way to honour his heritage). That passion is what comes over when people see your collection. To be a collector you should decide with a mixture of research and instinct, gut and brain; go outside your comfort zone and look at works by artists you might not immediately understand. Aim to get a full spectrum of styles and genres, the more you see, the more your personality will shine through in your collection. If you’ve already begun a conversation with an artist, it’s about going deeper and getting into the “artists universe”. If it’s a new artist, it’s about, where do I begin and where do I see this going? When collecting art, you should be thinking of posterity and heritage; you’re effectively a custodian for an artist and their work. In this fractured word economy it’s becoming increasingly difficult for young people to buy their own home; for renters investing in quality furniture for e.g. an Eames chair or a Wegner sideboard, can be off-putting, especially when factoring in the logistics of moving to a new place every few years. Art is something one can appreciate instantly, and to employ an old and tired adage, it immediately makes a house feel like a home.
Tomoo Gokita, Tokyo Shyness Girl (2015)
Anselm Kiefer, Der Wolken heitere Stimmung (2011)
Even if you’re collecting as an investment, whether it’s a painting, drawing, photographic print, etching or monotype, the key is to buy something you love; in the world of contemporary art every purchase involves risk and bargains exist only in retrospect; if a return on investment is your primary driver for collecting art, you’ll have to look at mid-career or established artists and that means higher prices (the legendary art dealer Irving Blum (b. 1930) said that whenever he heard an artist’s name mentioned by two or more people whose opinion he respected, he went to see the artist). It can be incredibly difficult to predict future career progression and market value, so buy something for the simple reason that you love it — ideally you don’t want to be stuck with something you can’t wait to see the back of. “When it goes on the wall, can you live with it?” asks artist Norman Ackroyd on the topic of collecting, “Sometimes of course the question is, could you live without it — and if it’s no, that’s when you really go for something.” Also, don’t fixate on names or so called “hot” artists, if you’re looking for something in a particular style, e.g. abstract, pop art or expressionist, it can be far more rewarding to buy a great piece from an emerging or graduate artist — perhaps then following their progression and buying more works as their prices, hopefully, increase — than buying a second rate work, or even a signed print. “Engaging with art will make you think and feel differently, and see the world in a more diverse and creative way,” says Paul Becker, CEO and founder of Art Money, a platform that offers interest-free credit to prospective art buyers. “Owning art is experiential, from meeting the artist to understanding and sharing the story behind the work.”
Albert Oehlen, Im Museum II (1982) (detail)
Amoako Boafo, Joy in Purple (2019) (detail)
There’s a lot to be said for supporting the next generation of artists and so channel your inner Guggenheim and (as soon as the Pandemic allows) keep an eye on graduates from major art schools (including Central Saint Martins, Goldsmiths, Slade, Camberwell College and the RA Schools), attending and buying from end of year shows. If in two or three years’ time these artists are represented by a commercial gallery their pieces will rocket in value, so buying early on can be an incredibly savvy move (Art, at the end of the day, is about passion and instinct. If you felt that “tingle” then buy it on the spot.). Go to graduate shows, meet artists, talk about their work and get a feel for what styles and genres most appeal. A good many artists will be open to a studio visit, which is a wonderful way to build a relationship and a rapport — in doing so you become their personal client and will be the first to hear about new work or exhibitions. Equally, don’t mess people around, be realistic with budget and don’t promise anything you don’t intend to follow up on; it can be embarrassing both for you and the artist in question. In recent years Instagram has become an increasingly important forum for artists, galleries and collectors; follow contemporary commercial galleries to discover emerging artists and art fairs and for key dates in the art world calendar. Navigating big art fairs, or even the younger, trendier fairs (for e.g. NADA in Miami, or Liste in Basel) can be somewhat daunting for your first art buying experience. Instead head to the Allied Editions booth at Frieze London every October, a unique artists editions collective, selling affordable pieces by important artists from as little as £50.
You don’t need riches to collect art, and if original paintings are out of budget, prints, drawings and sketches can be an affordable option (especially works that are atypical of an artist’s oeuvre). Even major blue chip artists will often produce printed editions in smaller, affordable batches sold through non-profit making organisations like Aperture or the Whitechapel Gallery, so be sure to keep an eye out for collaborations and other limited-edition prints (a number of galleries even collaborate with Own Art — a government initiative aimed at reducing financial barriers and perceptions of elitism in the art world, by enabling people to buy artworks with the help of an interest-free loan). Even in the realm of modern masters such works can offer small-scale, affordable, yet valuable, insights into an artist’s process and intention; encapsulated with a work on paper is often the genesis of a larger work. The simple elegant, bold forms of post-war artists like Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015), Robert Mangold (b. 1937), Ed Ruscha (b. 1937), Richard Serra (b. 1938) and Lichtenstein (1923-1997) work well on a smaller scale and tend to suit smaller city apartments. A general guide when starting to buy prints and editions is to either buy high edition number, lower value prints by very well-known artists, or low edition number, cheap prints by emerging artists; to get an affordable print by a well-known artist you’ll be looking at a bigger edition number. For more emerging artists then try find lower edition prints, which will be therefore more unique and valuable.
As your knowledge and confidence in art grows, your taste will inevitably evolve and become more refined. You’ll most likely find yourself attracted to works that were previously of little interest, or even genres that were once of no appeal. As your collection develops if you find an existing piece looks out of place don’t be afraid to store it or sell it. Equally, if you hang a new work and it doesn’t look right, move it; try it on a different wall, or even in a different room to see how it strikes a dialogue with other works. Pieces of a more diminutive nature often work well hung low over a small piece of furniture, such as an end table or bedside cabinet. Grouping works together can also be incredibly effective — although salon hung “gallery walls” can often look fussy and contrived, even distracting from the work you’re trying to showcase. Of course it’s important to play to a work’s strengths, and for e.g. in a narrow transitional space or hallway, etchings — which inherently require close up observation — might be a good option. Test various arrangements by laying them out on the floor, or even on a dining table. In addition, a small space doesn’t necessarily dictate similarly scaled works; a single large canvas filling an entire wall can be an unexpected and effective play on scale.
In Herb & Dorothy, Megumi Sasaki’s 2009 documentary about Herbert and Dorothy Vogel — him a postal clerk, her a school librarian — the unassuming pair (once described as “proletarian art collectors”) give a tour of their tiny rent-controlled one bedroom on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside; which improbably holds a collection of over 4,782 works by a veritable all-star list of modern American and Eastern European artists. A wire piece by Richard Tuttle (b. 1941) hangs over a wardrobe and works by Julian Schnabel (b. 1951) are stacked on top of each other end to end; it perfectly demonstrates how big collections can be housed in small spaces — and that to start collecting one doesn’t require hundreds of square metres and endless bare walls. Galleries need collectors and they expect them to start small; spending a week’s wage (or more) on a work can feel terrifying and the first commitment to a piece of art will always seem the most daunting. The best time to start collecting is always now — as in love, hesitation is loss. There can be no doubt that the contemporary art scene is an aspirational world (i.e. geared towards the one percent), but that shouldn’t put you off — and with a considered approach it can be one of the most exciting and rewarding ways to invest; indeed a well-chosen piece will hang on your wall and do all the work for you. Philip Hook, director and senior painting’s specialist at Sotheby’s, wrote that given the resale value of paintings after ten years, and the resale value of footballers over the same period, Roman Abramovich might “ultimately reach the conclusion that his money is safer in art”. As Kim Chang-il, one of Asia’s greatest collectors says, “bad art ‘begs’ you to buy it, but good art does not wait for you. We have to wait to buy it.” Art, at the end of the day, is about passion and instinct.