Collecting Art
There are many reasons to collect art. Some people collect for the simple pleasure of owning and enjoying something special; others collect art as an investment; and yet others for the combined pleasure of aesthetics and the hope of value appreciation over time. Depending upon your personal approach to collecting and the particular era or type of art you prefer, your collection will likely be quite different from that of any other collector.
One point we would like to emphasize is that any collector is likely to learn from other collectors. In the Summer 2008 issue of Art News there is a brief interview with Filiep Libeert, one of Art News 200 top collectors. The first question was “ What are some of the mistakes you made early on as a collector?”
Libeert answered that it was that he started buying late work of what he now thinks are only average artists. He went on to say that if you buy an artist`s work, you need to be buying early work early on, which in the long term makes the work historically important. That takes courage as there is a greater uncertainty factor. However, if you like the work to begin with, there is also a greater reward when the work appreciates.
This view is echoed by Miami based art collector Mera Rubell: With young artists, you find the greatest purity. When you buy from the first or second show, you’re inside the confidence building, the identity building of an artist.” Mera’s husband, Don Rubell, makes an interesting and insightful comment about the competitiveness of collecting: “When you first start collecting, you’re intensely competitive, but eventually you learn two things. First, if an artist is only going to make one good work, then there is no sense in fighting over it. Second, a collection is a personal vision. No one can steal your vision.” And, in the words of Nicholas Logsdail, owner of Lisson Gallery in London: “A collection is more than the sum of its parts. It creates something unique. The best have a “driving force.”
For that reason, we will continue bringing you not just the work of established artists, but also the work of emerging artists with whose creative talent goes well beyond simply outstanding technique .
