#ArtWiseUP: Starting an Art Collection – Part II

♢ EDITORIAL by Sal McIntyre, New York ♢

Becoming an art collector is fun and can be accessible to everybody, an activity that brings an appreciation of art in line with personal taste and a level of enjoyment into everyday life. It is also an activity that grows over time, expanding throughout the process of learning about the types of work that you are most drawn to. Though the art world can be complex to navigate, being armed with just a little bit of the right knowledge about focus, maintenance and strategy will free you to plunge in wherever you are hearing the call.

Investing in prints is an ideal sector to start in as the buying and selling of art prints is fast and fluid, allowing for more freedom and versatility in decision making. If you love a piece now but wonder if you may grow tired of it after a few years, there are options for how to move on from it so that you can continue to love every piece in your collection as it shifts on the whole. Afterall, people too are shifting beings, and it can be invigorating to maintain an art collection that is honestly reflective of our current motives and atmospheres. There exist many marketplaces presently that have made the sales of personal items easier than ever, whether it is through interaction at antique stores or vintage markets or online through places like Etsy or eBay, or if you are looking to consign through an auction house you can contact us for connections. In the event you want to give a piece away for a tax write-off, it is good to understand that it is for fair market value only, rather than the original purchase price— it can be a better option to simply resell it. Even if you sell it for less than you hoped, it is always better than spending money on storage.

When planning how to display your pieces, a quick look through the online presentations of many modern art galleries and designed home interiors reveals an inspiring current of inventive new options and methods. From free-standing suspension with long, fine gallery pins to unique mounting and even new materials and ways of framing, presenting your piece tactfully can serve to highlight the work itself and allow the hardware to disappear into the background. You can put a print behind glass or plexi, and you can choose for either one to be UV-protective so it will not fade over time.

Furthermore, if the piece is 36x48 or larger, or $1000 or above, then it is recommended that you use plexi, as it not as heavy and not at risk of ruining the print if it breaks. A frame can be chosen by picking up on a material and tone that is already in your space, such as the wood of the floor— in this way the frame will blend in and keep the focus on the work itself. And a similar concept can be used in choosing a color for a second mat, the slim accent mat that is sometimes used to offset the main mat. By finding a color that is already in the artwork, it gives an aspect of dimension and incorporates the art into its surroundings, creating a seamless viewing experience.

And on any significant art item, it is most wise to hang it in a place where it is away from direct sunlight and any heat sources if possible. Taking care of your art collection means that your art collection can take care of you, and when you love the work you own, it really does have that kind of an exchange. But all in all, remember to live, and allow your expanding aesthetic alliances to enrich your surroundings and support your day-to-day flow— in this way, the presence of art in your world becomes a quality of life factor that, with butterfly-effect, permeates all of what you do.