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Art collecting: showing off your individual style

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Published
10/28/2014

The art market is a competitive arena and business is good. In fact, things have never been better. This is truly a remarkable epoch and indicative of the confidence that returned quickly after the financial crisis. Investors and collectors were quick to start snapping up works while counterparts in traditional markets were trying to come to terms with the crash.

There is a lot of optimism at the top end of the market, which is dominated by enviable high net worth individuals keen on collecting works of art, both for pleasure and business.

Timeless works of art by internationally renowned artists will sell for hundreds of millions of pounds. It is almost a guarantee with quality of artist/work corresponding to value.

And things are heating up. With the market experiencing one of its best periods of activity in recent times, the prices high net worth individuals are willing to pay for an iconic piece is set to become even greater.

Art is different from many other assets – alternative and otherwise – because not only is a work desirable, it triggers all sorts of emotions in a viewer. As far as investments go, works of art are intriguing investment opportunities.

It is good to be aware of this wider context when it comes to curating your own collection. Do not feel disheartened that the greats will never feature in your cluster of works (for now that is): we can’t always have what we want.

Focus instead of putting together a collection whose philosophy is similar to that of the Vogels, the New York-based couple who, on a modest income, amassed a breathtaking collection that not only captured their essence, but ended up being a remarkable and distinct work of art in itself.

If you are developing a collection because you love art, without necessary wanting to use pieces as investments to trade with, well, go with your heart. Let your gut guide you and if you come across some obscure works that you like, which others may wince at, worry not. If it affects you then wonderful, snap it up.

The art world is expansive and there are certainly endless fringe movements, inventive artists and leftfield art galleries to choose from. A simple survey of an art fair will go far to show just how much art is actually out there, as will an exploration of an online source like Artspace.

Consider also some of the more contemporary art movements that have emerged in the twenty first century. While these are not necessarily mainstream or historically significant per se – that is often realised retrospectively – they offer a wide-range of different styles and ideas. This can make certain works in your collection rather distinct.

A few movements to consider include metamodernism, which many consider to be the next stage in modernism, and, consequently, is determined to be a reaction to postmodernism; neo-minimalism, an ‘amorphous’ development that looks to re-evaluate former art forms, giving them a contemporary twist.

What you will find in these movements is a style unlike anything you have seen. Some ideas may seem bizarre, utterly surreal – an opt choice of word – and as if concocted on a whim, but dig deeper and you will find works of real worth and artistic integrity.

There is no sense of pretentiousness here for the artists do not believe they are delivering works that purport to be greater or more important than they actually are – they are in the business of making art for art’s sake.

Critics lack the vocabulary and knowledge to properly engage with art of this ilk – all art in fact – and instead argue against its merits based on narrow thinking. It does not conform to their expectation of what is ‘correct’ or of a certain ‘quality’.

Pablo Picasso’s early cubism was thought peculiar when first executed, while Mark Rothko’s reduced masterpieces seemed unintelligible to his contemporaries. Today we see them for the geniuses they are, and therefore, when selecting a work of art, do not be swayed by other people’s opinions, or be held back by anxiety. Jump into the unknown and create the world you want to live in.

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