ANW I DELHI I MAY 12, 2015 I 1st Published 1330
Courtesy The Telegraph
The
director of the Whitechapel gallery shares her tips for buying art on a budget
Find your passion
Aside from budget, scale is the first practical thing to think about when you are considering buying a piece of art. How much wall-space you have at home will determine the size of the work. Next, think about what sort of art speaks to you. This is much less tangible and takes a lot of looking, so visit some public galleries to explore your artistic interests.
Tate Modern is wonderful because you can see a range of 20th- and 21st-century pieces. Pick up The Art Book, by Phaidon, an excellent introduction to different kinds of art. Choose a subject from which to proceed – you might love figuration, colour, nature, architecture – and pursue works of that genre to form your collection.
Aside from budget, scale is the first practical thing to think about when you are considering buying a piece of art. How much wall-space you have at home will determine the size of the work. Next, think about what sort of art speaks to you. This is much less tangible and takes a lot of looking, so visit some public galleries to explore your artistic interests.
Tate Modern is wonderful because you can see a range of 20th- and 21st-century pieces. Pick up The Art Book, by Phaidon, an excellent introduction to different kinds of art. Choose a subject from which to proceed – you might love figuration, colour, nature, architecture – and pursue works of that genre to form your collection.
Support an artist
It’s enriching to focus on artists in depth. Collecting a particular artist will broaden your understanding of their work. Read Time Out, Frieze and Art Monthly for information on emerging talent, and visit not-for-profit gallery spaces that show a consortium of artists, such as Workplace Gallery in Gateshead, Spacex in Exeter and Transmission Gallery in Glasgow, to discover new artists. Britain has some of the best art schools in Europe; follow the careers of MA graduates from Goldsmiths, Royal College of Art, the Slade and Glasgow.
It’s enriching to focus on artists in depth. Collecting a particular artist will broaden your understanding of their work. Read Time Out, Frieze and Art Monthly for information on emerging talent, and visit not-for-profit gallery spaces that show a consortium of artists, such as Workplace Gallery in Gateshead, Spacex in Exeter and Transmission Gallery in Glasgow, to discover new artists. Britain has some of the best art schools in Europe; follow the careers of MA graduates from Goldsmiths, Royal College of Art, the Slade and Glasgow.
Start with prints
Before Picasso, prints were thought of as a cheap form of reproduction. Now there are print departments in all major museums, from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Tate. Great print artists such as David Hockney, Howard Hodgkin and Jasper Johns make 15 to 100 editions of original pieces so that we can afford to own them. Look for pieces in dedicated print galleries, for example, Alan Cristea in London. Print houses such as Paragon Press, Counter Editions and Crown Point Press sell editions by world-renowned artists such as Gary Hume and Robert Rauschenberg at modest prices. Prints are often domestically sized and once framed are almost indestructible. All types of work on paper are good options for a low budget. Bid on pieces donated by artists in an annual online charity auction ondrawingroom.org.uk.
Before Picasso, prints were thought of as a cheap form of reproduction. Now there are print departments in all major museums, from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Tate. Great print artists such as David Hockney, Howard Hodgkin and Jasper Johns make 15 to 100 editions of original pieces so that we can afford to own them. Look for pieces in dedicated print galleries, for example, Alan Cristea in London. Print houses such as Paragon Press, Counter Editions and Crown Point Press sell editions by world-renowned artists such as Gary Hume and Robert Rauschenberg at modest prices. Prints are often domestically sized and once framed are almost indestructible. All types of work on paper are good options for a low budget. Bid on pieces donated by artists in an annual online charity auction ondrawingroom.org.uk.
Buy editions
Many galleries, for example, Camden Arts Centre and Whitechapel,now ask artists who exhibit to make limited-edition pieces for the public to buy. These are exciting as they mark the occasion of an exhibition; buying one means you are part of history as it is made. The link to the exhibition also means that gallery editions tend to accumulate in value.
Many galleries, for example, Camden Arts Centre and Whitechapel,now ask artists who exhibit to make limited-edition pieces for the public to buy. These are exciting as they mark the occasion of an exhibition; buying one means you are part of history as it is made. The link to the exhibition also means that gallery editions tend to accumulate in value.
As with
music, you can find art fabulous the first time around but have had enough with
two more views, so it pays to revisit a piece. Art fairs are a great place to
do this. There is a proliferation to choose from now, from Frieze and Art Basel
at the top of the range to entry-level fairs. Christie’s hosts Multiplied in
London, which shows editions of original contemporary art and is very
reasonable. Walk around with a friend; if a piece catches your eye, walk away
from it and go back later to see whether it still speaks to you.
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