15 WAYS TO GET YOUR ART FIX
Whether you’re a seasoned collector or looking for your first piece, we’ve curated the best new platforms, galleries and talents to help you discover art that speaks to you
1. THE CRAFT COLLECTOR: SoShiro
Opened last summer, the Marylebone gallery showcases work at the intersection of art, traditional craft and contemporary design. Its aim, says founder Shiro Muchiri, is to conserve and evolve artisan techniques by connecting craft communities all over the world with artists and designers. SoShiro’s current exhibition, ‘Welding Cultures’ (until 31 July), features works by Ini Archibong and Nandita Chaudhuri, while this autumn
it hosts Cuban artist Alexandre Arrechea (soshiro.com).
2. THE AFFORDABLE BUYS:
Kick-start your collection with artwork from these online purveyors
3. THE CHARITY INITIATIVE:
The Stand
Convinced the art market ‘could do more to support both artists and organisations in need’, Robin Woodhead, former CEO of Sotheby’s, set up new auction platform The Stand. Rethinking the traditional distribution of fees, artists and their galleries receive 70 per cent of the sale price, with 20 per cent going to partner charities and the remaining 10 to The Stand to cover costs. Names from across the music, design and fashion industries will curate auctions – Faye Toogood is set to take a turn this autumn (thestand.art).
From right Previous works on sale have included Ingrid Berthon-Moine’s Titillation; and Delphine Diallo’s Highness Blue
4. THE DESTINATION GALLERY: Morgans
There’s no shortage of art galleries in Falmouth, but the Cornish town’s latest opening offers something a little bit different. Housed in a historic building overlooking the harbour, the top three light-flooded floors are dedicated to studio spaces for artists and ceramicists whose work is available through the gallery, while the remaining two floors play host to rotating exhibitions that aim to promote the work of emerging talents and those with a connection to the area (morgansfalmouth.com).
5. THE PERSONAL CURATION SERVICE: Canopy Collections
Launched last year by art experts Louise Chignac and Cécile Ganansia, the online gallery and advisory service aims to make the experience of buying contemporary art easier and friendlier. Chignac gives her advice on starting a collection…
■ The first step in the process of buying art is about looking and trying to understand what you love and what you want to live with. When you find an artwork or artist you like, we recommend starting a conversation with the artist or gallery and doing further research. The more you know about a work, the more likely you are to treasure it forever.
■ If you’re looking for a piece for a specific space, start by measuring the area to its maximum height and width.
Use masking tape to draw the outline of the work you’re looking for and better visualise its ideal dimensions. From there, decide what media might work best: painting, photography, tapestry… Paintings often work best as ‘statement’ pieces in the most important spots of the home: above a sofa, dining table or mantelpiece. Finally, think about a colour palette that will work within the room – but remember to stay open-minded.
■ An artwork shouldn’t be there to just quietly decorate the room, it should also give it personality and be something to talk about. Many of our clients believe they can only live with abstract art, yet often the first thing they buy is a figurative painting – there’s something comforting and challenging about living with figurative art. Buying art is also about stepping out of our comfort zone.
■ Mixing styles is challenging but it’s also rewarding. When starting a collection, we often begin with what we feel comfortable with. As we keep looking, our eye sharpens and takes us to new places and aesthetics. Many of our clients start with one ‘statement’ work and go on to acquire smaller pieces, such as unique ceramics, photographs or works on paper.
■ The most common mistake people make when building a collection? Buying what everybody else around them is buying! It’s best to be faithful to our own tastes. Art can be an investment, but it is first and foremost a commitment.
■ The most interesting collections are built over many years and are often very personal. A collection shouldn’t be only decorative but remarkable and tell a story – collecting art is like a journey that is made up of discoveries, friendships and conversations. The more your art collection means to you, the better it will stand the test of time and even grow with future generations (canopy-collections.com).
6. THE MUST-SEE POP-UP: Monument Store
The online purveyor of art, objects and collectable furniture will take over Leyton events space Host this July. Founded by Leah Forsyth-Steel and Victoria Spicer, two passionate collectors with backgrounds in curation and set design respectively, Monument Store’s firmly ‘anti-fast’ stance on homeware and objects has resulted in an eclectic edit of treasures. Expect 1980s candleholders, lithographs by modernist painter Serge Poliakoff and
sculptural coffee tables by Massimo and Lella Vignelli (monumentstore.co.uk).
7. THE INNOVATION: NFTs
In an increasingly digitised industry, questions around ownership and copyright have become ever more problematic for artists and collectors. NFTs – Non-Fungible Tokens – are being touted as a solution. Using the same technology as cryptocurrencies, they render digital assets that have no physical presence unique by creating a certificate of ownership known as a blockchain. The controversial concept has created a buzz in the art world and has provoked much debate, so whether NFTs are the future, or merely a fad, remains to be seen.
8. THE PODCASTS: for art lovers
Hear insights from artists, creatives and well-known names as they discuss what art means to them in these engaging series
The artist and jewellery maker is part of Toast’s New Makers programme for 2021. Here, she tells us about her hanging sculptures…
Your background is in jewellery design – how did you come to start creating sculpture? I made my first mobile for my daughter when she was born, and I used similar techniques that I do for my jewellery and scaled them up. I spent a long time working out ways to join the materials sensitively, letting the shapes be the focus with as little distraction as possible from the connection of the pieces. My jewellery was always fairly large in scale and so making the leap to sculptural pieces felt quite natural. I am thrilled to be a part of Toast’s New Makers programme this year; I love the brand’s circular principles and the way it champions craftsmanship and creativity.
Tell us about your materials I use brass, which can be recycled infinitely, and the majority of the woods I source are off-cuts from furniture or instrument makers, or from broken wooden items such as old tool handles. I like materials with some history or a story and the constraints of knowing that I can’t get an endless supply of a certain material is an important part of the work.
What do these pieces bring to someone’s home environment? I hope they bring a sense of calmness. You don’t need a lot of space to hang a mobile and if you are lucky enough to get some sun streaming in, your mobile will interact with it and bring ever-changing shadows to your wall. From £150 (toa.st).