Creating a Unique Art Collection

Sometimes people wonder what makes for a good art collection and what's the importance of art collecting? The easy answer is probably what makes the collector happy, what they like. However, most times this is a very ambiguous desire- most people don't really know what they want or like.

I came across an article with some insightful advice on www.artbusiness.com where "Step one is being true to your tastes. This means acknowledging that you like certain types of art regardless of what you think you're supposed to like or what seems to be the current rage. All great collectors share this trait-- that's one thing makes their collections stand out."

Collect what you like, this much is true at anytime, but what people also seeks is something of value, meaning something valuable to the eyes of others, something that is desired by many people, but only you possess it- that's a powerful collection.

Another insight is be open and look everywhere "Don't confine yourself to the same museums or galleries or wherever else you've been looking at art. Get out there and see what else is going on." This is important for diversity in the collection and avoiding a collection that looks like the next one.

A novice collector will buy what he likes because that's the initial first step. However, for the collection to mature it has to make sense and create links with the other items in the same collection so the collector will say "Not only do I love this sculpture, but it's also a prime example of the artist's best subject matter dating from his most productive time period and it fills a major gap in my collection." The collection is complete once all the pieces of the puzzle are fit together, the art consultant can then help to find these missing links and pieces.

Another interesting point is documenting your art pieces. Take the time to record the title, ownership history, artist statements, any associated stories, pricing etc. because once the collection has grown large enough you may forget some of the small details that made an artwork so fitting when you made the initial discovery.

To view the full art collecting posting see here.