Urban Art Association

It's hard to strike a balance. In many cases, purchasing an original represents a serious commitment and should not be taken lightly. For the most part, original works are far less liquid than prints, which means finding a potential buyer, should your tastes change, could take a significant amount of time. It is also important to note that even if you find a buyer, you'll be lucky to recover your original cost.

I strongly agree with the sentiment that a new collector should not purchase anything beyond books for the first year. From a personal standpoint, I have maybe one piece left that I purchased in my first two years of collecting. Tastes evolve very quickly.

Fair enough, but that's not really what I said. I was making a generalization about the nature of the market. For a new collector, whose tastes are evolving rapidly, this could be a useful piece of information. Even if from the outset, you buy with the intent to keep and cherish the piece forever, the reality is that tastes change, as do personal circumstances.

And to clarify, I do think the number one consideration, beyond "Can I afford it?", should be "Do I want to look at this on my wall every day, indefinitely?". The issue with new collectors is that they don't really know what they want yet, so they aren't properly equipped to answer that question.

I think this might be an appropriate question for this thread... What is a good online resource to check an artist's sales at auction or otherwise? Preferably a free resource?

Try www.Expressobeans

thanks man!

Thanks again for everyones input on the question I had earlier. Andrew from Thinkspace contacted me and couldn't be more nice. Excellent gallery to work with. I think I just had to understand that we all work on different time horizons and expectations.

First - learn everything you can about an artist you intend to collect. Watch all the auctions. Talk to dealers and galleries about their work. Don't buy anything "expensive" to you, until you are well informed about the artist. At this point, you should be well enough informed to make a good decision and many of the other points will work themselves out.

Other than that, I would resist buying a bunch of affordable things just because they are affordable. Try to do research, set a goal, and obtain things that are meaningful to you.

Postage costs a lot of money (sometimes buyers forget that)- done properly it's ridiculously expensive, but in the long run worth it. I bought my first original from an artist who was big on the scene 10 years ago and it in arrived in a bin liner. Lol.


Don't flip something an artist did for you for free. A kind forum member, who I have never met and being in the other side of the world may never meet, kindly hooked me up. One of my most cherished pieces of art was done for free by a great bunch of lads. I did see someone else who was also hooked up put theirs on eBay.

GET OUT OF THE HOUSE.

Look, read, listen, roam, discover, study, question, think — especially outside your cage, whether or not that cage is gilded.

Being adventurous and proactive when self-learning about art includes forgoing domestic comforts. Don't be lazy with your own education.

The temptation to stay home is understandable, whether because of tiredness, habit or indolence. Yet succumbing too often will hinder you. Admittedly, the internet is phenomenal; sites like YouTube and Instagram are exceptional resources. But staring at a glass screen isn't a panacea. Viewing art online is a restricted and passive way of experiencing it.

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Visit the following:

1. Museums

Spend more time in museums. Resist taking these institutions for granted. Check out their permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Whenever possible, pay a bit extra and hire an audio guide. The background information and historical context will deepen your appreciation of the artists and their work.


2. Galleries and Pop-Up Shows

These are arguably the best venues for staying up to speed with the commercial art world. In larger cities like London, the concentration of galleries in certain neighbourhoods makes it possible for someone with stamina to visit 10 or 12 in a single day.

Engage with gallery staff to hear more on artists and their work. But remember the interests at play. Dealers are partial; their business is to sell you art.

Make a note as well of the dates of exhibition previews and openings, when chances are highest for meeting fellow enthusiasts.


3. Art Fairs

Many people resent the entrance fees and overt commerciality of fairs. However, these events are excellent for rapid surveys of the roster and focus of different galleries — including non-local ones you'd never otherwise call on. After three or four hours, you may suffer from "fairtigue", but you'll have taken in a wider breadth of subject matters, styles and techniques than if that time had been spent at galleries.

In London, Frieze London and Frieze Masters are recommended. Art16 as well, though it seems there won't be an Art17. London Art Fair has a handful of strong galleries returning each year, but the booths of poorer exhibitors can also be interesting, if only to see what dealers are selling or trying to sell.

Even the smaller-scale or unimpressive fairs — like the Affordable Art Fair and many of the Frieze satellite fairs, including (for self-representing artists) The Other Art Fair — can be worth attending. They are information-consumption opportunities: a chance to train one's artistic eye, to learn to better discriminate and distinguish good from bad. Increased exposure and immersion helps to more effectively identify derivative art and artists who (notwithstanding any technical skill) are simply aping themes or styles that are currently popular.


4. Auction Houses on Viewing Days

My impression is that the educational benefits offered by the top-tier houses, Christie's and Sotheby's, are criminally neglected here. Phillips as well.

Before every sale, there are a few days when lots can be examined in person and up close. Except during evening private views when drinks are served, it isn't rare to be the only visitor in a show room. Although not curated in the proper sense, real efforts are usually made on presentation, including by hanging complementary pieces together.

How many other chances does one get to view key works by the likes of Francis Bacon, Cy Twombly or Christopher Wool from private collections? With the big contemporary sales, I frequently find the auction lots more enjoyable than many museum and gallery exhibitions.


5. Graduate / Degree Shows at Art Colleges

When it comes to forum members learning about emerging artistic talent, graduate shows seem to be among the most underexploited platforms. Members based in London should look into the shows held by Free Range or the multitude of academic institutions like the Royal College of Art, Goldsmiths and Central Saint Martins.

These shows are ideal for making new and surprising discoveries. As with art fairs in particular, they also allow art lovers to better train their eye — including for recognising trends to be wary of, generic styles, and work overly influenced by recent blockbuster exhibitions or by artists who are commercially successful.

Taken in isolation, a Richter-, Basquiat- or Rucha-style work might be appealing. But after seeing a dozen other young artists doing similar things based on the same, immediately-apparent influences, initial interest commonly wanes.

On average, however, I'd say the calibre of art at graduate shows (in terms of technical skill, conceptual strength and overall impression) is higher than most of the work promoted and fêted on this forum.


6. Art Festivals

Sometimes these are great. Usually they're a little predictable, anticlimactic, and (whether publicly or privately funded) in many cases the cumulation of palpable, unhappy compromises between the parties involved.

The art may be good or bad, but festivals are often community-focussed. Even when second-rate, they are good social occasions for meeting like-minded people.


7. Artist Studios

If an artist you appreciate is reasonably accessible and you're considering buying their work, make contact and ask whether they're open to a studio visit. This type of direct experience will reward you with insights most collectors never receive.

The same applies for print and publishing studios, which can give you a better understanding of different mediums or techniques, as well as the general outlook and work philosophy of the relevant studio.


8. City Streets

Explore, get lost, find your way again without a map. Be conscious of the natural tendency to look downward, especially when consumed in thought or fixated on a hand-held device. Many people rarely notice what is above eye level or outside their direct line of sight. So heighten those senses. Raise your awareness of your surroundings.

Search and find street art and graffiti yourself. This includes not relying too much on websites, books or street art tour guides. Yes, they usually provide helpful tips. It's likely they'll also present a high concentration of pieces in a time-efficient manner. They may offer street art on a platter: accessible, easily digestible, and conveniently packaged. Like processed food.

And in this process, what risks being undermined is the very ethos of street art and graffiti. One aspect that's inspiring (if not exhilarating) about these subcultures is the DIY attitude — a spirit of independence and self-sufficiency. Query to what extent that spirit is compatible with being in a group of 10, 20 or 25 people, herded around like sheep. How about being told where to look, and what to look at? Will taking directions and following somebody else's lead foster a sense of adventure? Does it promote independent discovery?

Regarding potential impact, note the world of difference between:

(a) coming across a street piece randomly and unexpectedly; and

(b) finding it after having received advance notice of its existence, appearance and precise location.

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Have fun. Education isn't always synonymous with school.

I somewhat agree with him. Long term, you become more of a guardian for a piece of art. You are supporting the artist. . The piece becomes part of your colection thus creating value for both, virtuous cycle. There are people who don't know the artist or don't have money now, in the future they may be able to buy the art thanks to you.

Flipping, on the other hand is about instant gain. You make it difficult for someone who wants to buy now and take advantage of this, artificially inflating the market. This is bad for several parties including the artist.

It''s like eating all the crop of grain instead of saving some for replanting so that the future too will bear fruit.

Also remember.... Artists will continue to create more art. Don't lose your shit  over missing a drop every once in a while. 

I'm missing something here, although it's all good advice.
Maybe I'm just a geek, but when I started collecting I started an Excel-sheet with all my purchases;
date, price, edition, COA, shipping cost, etc
Each artist a different tab.

It helps me a lot when I do decide to sell something and also gives me a good overview
how much I spent in total, per artist etc.

I see a lot of sales threads with "not sure how much I paid".
You might spend 10, 20 or 30K in the next 10 years. I prefer to be sure.

I must add that I did start collecting as a long term investor, so for me it's important to know where I stand. But you might find yourself wanting to upgrade from 3 prints to 1 original canvass and then it's also worth knowing how much you are in for.