Art News
7 Essential Steps To Collecting Emerging Art
We at Saatchi Art aim to make your collecting experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible – especially when buying works by emerging artists. Below are 7 steps we recommend when buying art on-the-rise.
Ready to make an investment? Shop our latest installment of Invest In Art, featuring 11 emerging artists from around the world, hand picked by Chief Curator and VP Art Advisory, Rebecca Wilson.
1. Know the history
From the Medici family in the Renaissance to Herbert and Dorothy Vogel of the 1960s – people have been collecting and buying art for centuries, whether to be surrounded at home by beautiful works or for investment reasons or both.
2. Do your homework
Read art magazines, expand the range of art you are exposed to by going to lots of exhibitions, and attend degree shows at art colleges to help you make informed decisions about what you are buying. The more you research, the more confident you will be in your purchase.
3. Fall in love
It is essential that you fall in love with the artwork you are buying before making the purchase. According to a recent survey by University College London, looking at a beautiful work of art impacts the brain in the same way as falling in love with a person.
4. Consider the cost
Establish your budget and stick to it – buying online can be a very economical way to avoid gallery commissions and be able to view lots of works conveniently in one place.
5. Curate your own collection
This step is simple. The best advice when it comes to acquiring art is: always buy what you love. To help guide you in your search, Saatchi Art has a variety of curated collections with works by our artists for you to explore.
6. Buying photography
Photography is a great medium for first-time buyers to focus on. Quite often prices are lower for this particularly arresting medium that is easy to fall in love with and to live with. Don’t forget to ask some key questions: Do you love the photograph? What kind of photograph is it? Is it a limited edition? Is it unique?
7. Art as an investment
David Stevenson in the Financial Times says buying emerging art is “the equivalent of investing in frontier market equities. Rather than buying the global names that appear in the big auctions or the best galleries, you invest in the artistic equivalent of Mongolia or Cambodia: the young artists coming out of MA programmes.”
These steps are based on Saatchi Art’s 7 Essential Steps to Collecting Emerging Art guide. If you would like to know more, click the link below to download the free e-book.
Paintings featured above by Invest In Art artist, Morgan Willis. Left to right: “green legs,” “blue legs,” and “the searchers.”
