Buying, Collecting or Purchase of Artwork for Sale

Collecting paintings or other artwork is in many ways like any other purchase, despite the belief of many that it is not the same as buying a car, or clothing etc.    The reasons for purchase of artwork range from simply “I like it”, to an investment for capital gain.  We may want to know in advance if we are using our money wisely, and so may lay ourselves open to biased influence, from salesmen, friends, and popular opinion.  Whatever the reason, it is an advantage  to be conscious of various factors which include the purchaser’s own taste and preferences most of all, quality of the work, its originality, and perhaps the artists’ ideas. 

Art was once religious art thus commissioned by the church and its benefactors.  Later portraits were also commissioned by well to do families or individuals. In the last century art was commissioned to advertise holiday locations by the railways in many European countries. However in the last 30 – 50 years the number of talented practising professional and amateur artists has increased dramatically.  Accessibility and affordability of original art has also increased to the point where many people can afford to collect pieces of original art.  At the same time the value of the works of the old masters, sometimes bought for next to nothing in the lifetime of the artist, has increased to the point where only museums and billionaires can afford to own them.

When you are buying a painting in a gallery you may experience the subtle and sometimes not so subtle pressures of the seller not unlike those of a car salesman, a clothing shop assistant, or a real estate agent.  Having a fully understood reason for purchase and how it complements your aspirations can make you resistant to unwelcome pressure from salespersons.  They may seek to determine your budget and assess your social status. 

A painting you show interest in maybe promoted on the basis of the importance of the artist, it complementing your home, as a long term investment, or on the merits of the art itself, depending upon how the salesperson may perceive he can succeed.  How you are dressed when you enter the gallery and what you reveal about yourself in conversation will affect their approach.  The art purchaser needs to be aware that galleries have high overheads which are paid for by sales, and the salesperson may receive a commission.  The amount that the artist receives from a gallery sale for his work will be much less than the sale price since the gallery will deduct both its commission and any taxes on the total cost that may be due.  Beforehand the artist will often have had to pay for the framing if it is a painting or some other display cost. 

All artwork for sale should display at the very least technical competence by the artist in using the selected medium to portray its raison d’etre.  Professional rather than student materials should be used.  Some knowledge on the buyer’s part of the underlying difficulties in using the particular medium can bring an appreciation of the artwork simply on a technical basis.  Lack of knowledge may easily be exploited when a prospective art purchaser visits a gallery.  Just because something has a high price doesn't mean it is good art, or that you will like it on your wall.. 

Each medium in which paintings are produced involve the use of pigments and for all of them lightfastness is a must, if the painting is to have any durability.  This property can vary according to the quality of the paint, with student quality paints being produced from cheaper, and less lightfast pigments.  The best light fast pigments are the same for all the media – watercolors / watercolours, oil, gouache or acrylics, pastel etc.  Besides lightfastness the use of cheaper student paints, due to the use of fillers, cannot achieve the same clarity and tonal range which can be achieved with professional artist quality paints.  However, each medium may make different demands of the pigments which leads to the visual differences between them, such as the difference between oil and watercolour / watercolor. The support medium, for a painting also needs to be considered. Canvas made of linen is more expensive than cotton. 100% cotton watercolor paper is more expensive than a cellulose medium.

The variety of sculptures available today reflect the wide range of materials that are available and which can allow the artist more freedom in putting in place his conception.  From traditional stone, clay, and bronze to filled resins, other metals (wires or plates), found materials and plastics that are now available and the tools used in producing the artwork have revolutionized traditional sculpture.   However the basic techniques used are ancient, being basically carving from a block of material, or modeling and casting.  A purchaser needs to be aware of these different production methods since it may bear upon the uniqueness of the piece, and the difficulty in creation and time taken to create it.  If the piece was produced by casting, the number of replicas made from the original model should be considered.
Other forms of art that may be considered as forms of modern sculpture or 3D art are glasswork, jewelry, textile art or even millinery.  However, works in these form need to have moved beyond simple craft to something particularly original and creative. 

The alternative to buying an original is to buy a printed reproduction, but it is not uncommon to find that those of well known artists are sold at a relatively high price.  Giclee printing while very good is a very expensive process.  No printing process can reproduce the full quality of an original unless the artwork itself was produced by a print process.  Thus ultimately it could be argued that the image is worth little more than that of the paper upon which it is printed.  The only exception is when the artist has had a limited print run of his work and each is signed and authenticated as such.

The main question to consider when buying art is "Do you like it?"

If you don't like it, then don't buy it! The purpose of a piece of artwork is to speak to you. If the painting you are looking at makes you feel suddenly sad, happy or emotional, then it's working! If the piece speaks to you, sends a message and you like it, then you should consider buying the painting.

A piece of art that you like, can give you a thrill every time you look at it and it can inspire you in unexpected ways in your daily life.

This internet gallery contains only original works, no commission is taken as a result of any sale.   It provides an alternate gallery space for artists to collect together images of their art work to present for sale to the public.