How to become an art collector
Art collecting intimidates a lot of people.
It has connotations of money and snobbery and experts standing with their arms crossed perusing famous works in fancy galleries.
But it doesn’t have to be that. The founders of Partage Montréal, a new community-supported art project are trying to demystify art buying.
HERE ARE A FEW OF THEIR SUGGESTIONS:
Check out what’s going on among emerging artists in Montreal’s contemporary art scene by visiting galleries and artistrun centres. A great place to start is the Belgo Building at 372 SteCatherine St. W. in the Quartier des spectacles. It’s a six-storey building that houses 27 art galleries. Check out the online Belgo Report for news and reviews of art exhibitions. There’s also Galerie Diagonale in Mile End, which presents exhibitions, conferences and artist talks.
Go to craft fairs like the coming Souk @ SAT (from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4 at the Societé des arts technologiques, 1201 St. Laurent Blvd.) and the Puces Pop winter fair (Dec. 9 to 11 and Dec 16 to 18 at Église St-Denis St., 5075 Rivard St.) Aside from the handiwork of knitters, bakers and weavers, many young photographers, illustrators, designers and printmakers sell their work at affordable prices at these popular sales.
Come April, get to the Papier16, an art fair dedicated exclusively to art works on paper, which are often less expensive than other art forms such as painting or sculpture. It is organized by the Contemporary Art Galleries Association. Held at Hangar 16 on the Clock Tower Pier in Old Montreal, it is a meeting place for art enthusiasts, artists and gallery owners., with daily talks and guided tours.
Montreal’s Musée d’art contemporain (or the MAC, as it’s otherwise known) has an active educational program including the SéminArts series, which is offered in cooperation with the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation. It includes artist studio visits and talks with private collectors, dealers and curators. It costs $225 for five sessions.
Don’t buy art as “an investment.” Instead, buy what you like, what you are going to want to live with.
Take a guided tour at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts or the MAC. This isn’t just helpful for learning about the art on display, but also for developing an ear for the vocabulary art-lovers use to describe what they see.
Visit a gallery or a museum exhibition twice. It’s on the second visit that you are likely to look more deeply at artworks that caught your eye the first time around.
Talk about the art you see. Art appreciation is an acquired skill. Or as curator Susannah Wesley puts it: “The more you talk about art, the more comfortable you feel talking about it.”