The Beginners Guide to Buying Art - Part 4

by Hugh Goring, Frames Gallery, Perth

"I don't know much about Art but I know what I like"

As a gallery owner this is a phrase that I hear a lot and at first glance it appears to be a fairly straightforward statement. But on closer examination what it actually is, is a statement to protect the speaker from any accusations of ignorance. The Art world is large and can be off-putting at times but if you are interested in buying Art then this is not an attitude that is going to help you. Consider for a moment the act of buying a new car. You're not going to say "I don't know much about cars, but I know what I like. I like red cars". No-one is going to buy a car in that state of mind, you will want to get yourself the information to be able to make an informed choice. Things like; Does it have ABS? How many doors does it have? Does it have a CD player? What is the fuel consumption? Is it good value for money? There are dozens of questions that you would ask before committing yourself to a purchase. Buying Art should be the same.

What are the kinds of questions that you should be asking?

Who is the artist? Are they well known or just at the start of their career? Have they exhibited a lot? What is the medium of the art? Is the painting an oil, or acrylic, or watercolour, or a print? Why is it so expensive/inexpensive? You must realise that being prepared to ask these questions should not be an embarrassment. Any gallery owner will want to talk about the work that they have on display and they will not care about how much information you already have or don't have.

As you go round galleries looking and asking questions about what you are seeing you will slowly build up a knowledge about Art and as you do this you will start to get some idea, not only of your own taste in Art but also why you like something in particular. You will start to recognise individual artists whose work you admire or perhaps a style of painting that you are attracted to. And the great thing about this is that it can be incredibly enjoyable and interesting.

This means that when you go into a gallery you can feel secure about what you are looking for as well as keeping an open mind about seeing new work. If we go back to our car analogy then you would know that you are looking for a car that has five doors, power steering, a CD player and good fuel consumption.

So the bottom line is take the opportunity and get informed about Art, it will make looking and buying a far more enjoyable experience.

In the last instalment I will be looking at how much buying Art can cost, value for money and easy payment plans.