The Gorilla Guide to Buying Art
I have had a number of friends purchase new homes as of late, which has lead to a number of questions about filling walls and buying art. These questions stimulated my mind and I thought I might write a post. So here you have the Gorilla Guide to Buying Art. I called the Gorilla Guide because some of this you aren’t suppose to know, it’s insider secrets most are too scared to share for fear of EXILE FROM the ARTISTIC COMMUNITY. Being EXILED ALREADY I ain’t got nothing to fear so I thought I give it to you straight, from someone who has seen the in and outs of the business for years. So to any I might offend I apologize now I also suggest you stop reading NOW and save us both some grief. With that said lets get down to the nitty gritty. Most of this is common sense, when we aren’t familiar with the something we sometimes second guess our instincts and values though.
First off let’s get this straight. NOT ALL ART IS CREATED EQUAL. Therefore every image created does not equal art. Your Aunt may have been a wonderful watercolor painter for 25 years it does not mean though that she necessarily created art. The truth also works the opposite way though. Just because a piece is in a gallery and the artist is reputed that doesn’t necessarily qualify it as ART to you either. This is where much confusion comes in. As art is SUBJECTIVE and an expert’s opinion may differ from that of a “novice” then who knows the real value of art. Really the “value” of any work could jump through the roof of the market at anytime. It could be as simple as a style becomes trendy or an affluent buyer pays a very high price for a work. So if even the experts don’t know what art is “worth” then who does. The truth is WE ALL DO!!!!!.
Van Gogh’s vase with Fifteen Sunflowers
The first thing to do when starting an art collection is decide WHY YOU are buying art. Are you buying images to fill your wall space or are you looking to start a collection as another form of investment. This helps set your price range. Sure many of us would love Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” the 80 million dollar price tag might put it out of reach though. Don’t sweat it too much though if you like the work you could buy a framed reproduction of it for about 40$. Of course the value of the original work will increase where as your poster will not. We all understand this. We buy the poster because it “speaks” to us in someway, not because we think we are going to own a Van Gogh. This is actually a great way to start an art collection.
WHY???? You might ask. Well because this is an inexpensive way to start getting to know your sensibilities about art. About what you like and what you don’t like. Another reason is because you can find posters or printed reproductions (not the same as limited editions) relatively easily. They can be found at Wal-Mart, poster shops even Museum boutiques. This makes it VERY EASY to “own” great works of art that inspire you for as little as ten bucks. It can also easily act as a gateway towards collecting art.
Once you become more comfortable with the ecstatic qualities of the art you enjoy it makes it much easier to then notice art you like. As example if I like the thick textural paint and the composition of the above mentioned Van Gogh the next time I am sitting in a cafe or strolling past a gallery I might notice an original work with similar qualities. This can then lead to the next step, entering a gallery or approaching an artist to inquire about the work.
Are You SCARED????? Don’t be. There are two things to remember… not all galleries are created equal and most galleries could learn a little something about class from McDonald’s. First off there are all sorts of galleries at all sorts of levels. EVER SINGLE ONE IS A BUSINESS and you are the POTENTIAL customer. If they can’t serve you GO SOME WHERE ELSE. Secondly galleries and “artist” come and go often as you change shorts. In 1992 I was traveling in Quebec City and saw this great exhibition at a place called Gallery Du Jour(literally translated the gallery of the day). Funny thing is I went back the next day cause I really liked the work, and the entire space was shut down and cleaned out, the only thing left was the awning. It literally was The Gallery of Day. I have since seen the artist’s work the gallery ceases to exist though. I have also known more people who called themselves “artists” for hanging out and looking cool then I could possibly remember. Sometimes it takes time, but they fade into the wood work at some point. There is far too much hard work involved for MOST people to bother with something like MASTERING the making art. All that, aside there are a whole slew of galleries to serve people, with artists at all sorts of levels and price tags to match. As example we will use some of my favorite galleries here in Montreal.
Maison Kasini located in the Belgo building is a perfect example of an emerging artist gallery, a place such as this is the PERFECT place to start. The great thing about Masion Kasini is it part boutique and part gallery. Regular exhibitions of artist’s original creations are displayed to show what’s going on in the contemporary art scene. At the same time though a central part of their business is selling AFFORDABLE original works, reproductions of artist’s work, prints, and anything else of value a creative mind can think of making. ALL of it is HIGH END products produced by artists, with the intention of making ART, often this done through Limited Edition. With prices starting at 4$ for a UNIQUE art work one can easily see it is actually VERY EASY to start ACQUIRING ART. Not only does it make one realize that ART can be affordable, it can also introduces people to artists they like at a very reasonable rate. Although Maison Kasini is a unique establishment unto its own (as in I never saw another place like it) there are Gallery/Boutiques like this popping up in EVERY urban area. Places like this make art very accessible to the public and can make shopping for art a fun and exciting experience. They are also the perfect place to find out what’s going on at the “street” level of ART. works on the boutique side can run up to 100$ or so. Works on the gallery side can run as high as 20 000$.
The Next “step up” in the gallery world would be commercial galleries. Once again there are a plethora of styles of galleries at this level to sever the different markets. You can find both emerging and established artists dependent on the gallery. The price tags can be a lot higher, making buying a work of art a little more nerve racking. As such I think the best advice in buying art at this level came in a statement by Samaria Liebner at Gallery D’Este when she said “People Buy art like they buy a home”. I think what she meant was in general they are planning living with it and keeping it for a while. Therefore there is time and thought put into the purchase. It is also based on that person’s PERSONAL ESTHETIC and TASTES. Lets face it people are not going buy a work for over 6000$ if they don’t like the way it looks.
Gallery D’Este is an excellent example of one type of a Contemporary commercial gallery. It represents both ESTABLISHED and EMERGING artists. Examples of such are Angela Grossmann who has been an ESTABLISHED FIGURE in Canadian Art since sometime in the late eighties or Drew Simpson who is about as young as Ms Grossmann’s career. they also represent Jean-Pierre Larocque, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Jean-Pierre Ruel some of Quebec’s most recognized AUTHORITIES in art. Please note just because your in a gallery setting such as this it does not mean you can not find a good deal on work. Often galleries such as this offer LIMITED EDITIONS of an artists work at a fraction of the price of the original. Their Salvador Dali’s and Henry Moore’s are perfect examples. You can own a Dali edition for about 20000$ You can ALSO find prints at Gallery D’Este starting as low as a few hundred dollars. Signed edition prints are “valued” as their “worth” can increase over time. It also gives a chance for art admirers to enjoy a work that may already be owned in a collection. A gallery such as this offers a WIDE RANGE in the spectrum of what ART is. One can often find historical works and works that push the boundaries of what ART means at the same time as finding something you can hang in your home.
Drew Simpson’s “Thrill Life”
A couple other types of galley at this end of the spectrum are the galleries such as Division Gallery or the Parisian Laundry. Galleries such as these are galleries interested in showing and selling CONTEMPORARY ART. Artist found here would be considered Avant Guard or boundary pushing. They are also ones that would most likely be found in a CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM type setting. You can expect to part with your hard earned dollars in establishments such as these as prices tags will most likely start above the 10 000$ dollar mark . Reason being is most of these artists are already well recognized in the Contemporary Museum scene and as such are owned in permanent collections. Examples of such artists might be Canada’s own Kim Dorland or Janet Werner. I will never forget the day I had stopped in Division gallery and a VERY WELL DRESSED IMPORTANT looking woman stopped in to find out the cost of an image in the window. When she heard the price tag of 50 000$ she looked like a deer caught in headlights as it’s about to be hit. She quickly excused herself as she had other obligations.
Kim Dorland’s “Elk Crossing”
Janet Werner’s “The Glove”
Other HIGH END galleries, center on showing only “ESTABLISHED ARTISTS”. Typically theses establishments represent artists that have been “contemporary” for the past 30 years. These galleries aren’t necessarily interested in PUSHING MODERN ART. They Represent works by artists who have CONTRIBUTED to the art world for sometime or had recognition in the past. They might represent an artist who was ground breaking thirty years ago. Works like these can be highly valued and can go from any where from a few thousand dollars into the millions. In a setting such as this you might find a Joe Fafard ( a Great Canadian Sculptor), Betty Goodwin or even a Tom Thompson. RECOGNIZED NAMES with the reputation to boot.
Great Candian Artist Tom Thompson of the group of Seven
You can also find a plethora of IMPORTANT ARTISTS at places such as Cosner Auction. The great thing about buying art from a place such as this is that a WELL ESTABLISHED auction house can also provide you with information on what to look for when buying works to ensure authenticity. They will also have knowledge on the artist’s history, which works where prime. as well as lots of information on techniques and aesthetic qualities to look for when buying Historical Art.
And then of course there is the WILD, WILD WEST Known as the INTERNET. NOW I’m sure there is A LOT of Hesitance to look for or acquire work off the internet as it’s unregulated. I would like to point out though it is almost the year 2012 and we should be able to teleport by now. Just like every other INDUSTRY with advent of the internet the art industry, although hesitant, CHANGED. Artist and galleries opened websites, places like DEVIANT ART and Etsy popped up for artists to sell their wares and even collectors started trading and selling work on places like E-bay. At first it seemed to destabilize the industry NOW EVERYONE is looking how to get a piece of the pie and other where frightened they would loose their lively hoods. INDUSTRY GIANTS such as Saatchi Gallery and magazines like Juxtapose stepped in. They offered emerging artists a chance to get in the spot light by getting involved in their “communities” through forms and online exhibition spaces. All these places offer a place to find and buy art or artist reproductions.
Morrisseau in front of his work
Another great place to find information on art or artists is blog spots. One of the places I learned the most about the ART of COLLECTING was from Ugo Matulic and his blog about Norval Morrisseau. Due to discrepancies in the Morrisseau legacy, my friend Mr. Matulic has found himself in a BATTLE about the AUTHENTICATION of some works in his collection. AS such he has become an EXPERT about what to look for and how to AUTHENTICATE Morrisseau’s work. As these skills are transferable to the understanding of other artists work this has also lead to an understanding of what to look for when buying original works of art. Which came first the chicken or the egg I don’t know, I do know that through our conversations and emails I have become FAR more conscious of what COLLECTORS are looking for when acquiring ART, which has then influenced the BUSINESS decisions I make as an artist and how I AUTHENTICATE my WORK!
So where does this leave YOU as a person interested in acquiring ART. HOPEFULLY INFORMED and with the confidence to look for art that speaks to you to fill your walls. A few pointers to remember BUY WORK YOU LIKE, FROM PEOPLE YOU LIKE at the PRICE YOU LIKE. Also remember there is a difference between buying art as a form of investment and buying images for you wall. Usually it’s the PRICE TAG. If there is an expensive work you just can’t live without, look to see if there are editions of it. If you decide to take the plunge and buy an expensive work then take comfort in the fact that even if it’s as expensive as a car, it last a lifetime and if you invested right It APPRECIATES. On the other hand if there is a young artist you know asking just a little more than you feel comfortable with, take a chance SUPPORT them. Could give them the MEANS (and confidence) to take their practice to the next level, which could mean the difference between another lost soul and the creation of a masterpiece. Your final question maybe why should you listen to me? Well I think my work speaks for itself. Here is a peak from my portfolio to help you decide whether these words have merit. Art like this takes more than a few years in art school to create. It is nurtured be the universe. Happy Hunting and may your walls ALWAYS be colorful.
Richard Rossetto’s “Sister Can You Tell Me” 2008
Rossetto Ink 