COLLECTING THE RIGHT ART
Getting advice from a professional is the best move
Everyone loves art―but we’re often unsure about buying it for ourselves. We don’t think twice about finding a renowned architect, a creative interior designer or a masterful landscaper. When it comes to art, however, it seems obvious to seek advice from professionals who know it and can guide us.
Buying contemporary art can be intimidating, particularly when one isn’t sure about how to gain exposure to new works, how to become familiar with the artists, to grasp modern techniques and how all these elements affect the intent behind single or multiple pieces of artwork. I try to help art enthusiasts to understand that a piece of art, first and foremost, should impact emotions, to make you feel something.
Often, a piece possesses something historical or sentimental. The art affects your intellectual being. Often knowing what the artist is trying to express can make an artwork come even more relevant and alive for a buyer. The artwork becomes the one addition to a home that is uniquely you. You made a personal choice to buy the art for your home, to express something you feel, that portrays your style and your identity. Before buying art, I suggest installing the art in the house (or offic e) to allow time to live with the pieces and see firsthand how the work “lives” and enhances a home.
Collecting art should not be an afterthought. Your artwork should be the one factor that speaks volumes about your lifestyle and can be a direct reflection of who you are intellectually, personally and socially. A professional adviser has extensive knowledge of art and wide-ranging access to many artists and art forms. They make expert art suggestions, help find just the right piece and provide an expert set of eyes or another set of ingredients in successful interior design. A great interior designer, along with an expert art adviser, has the experience and vision for interior space and can help to find the perfect artwork for your home.
Art advisers can also help educate about how artwork is priced and give better perspective into art history and artistic techniques that deepen an understanding and appreciation for the artwork.
“Artists are the oxygen of society.” This quote is displayed upon entering my gallery. It is by a Serbian contemporary artist, Marina Abramov, who also says the function of the artist is to give awareness to the universe, to ask the right questions, to open the consciousness and to elevate the mind―words to contemplate when one looks for art that impacts our life, home and business.
Southwest Florida continues to attract new home buyers and will only grow for the next decades, which also means younger generations who often have contemporary lifestyles are relocating here. What a wonderful future for our region and for those of us fortunate enough to call it our home.