What is the best way to buy art?
The ways that you can buy art have multiplied since I first became an artist 30 years ago. Back in 1995 the internet was just a baby and social media didn’t exist! Once you had left your art education, how to actually approach and be accepted by a gallery, who could sell your art for you, was as opaque as it was seemingly impossible!
I have found over the years that customers have lots of questions about how best to approach buying art, so I wanted to try and demystify this a little bit for you here.
Historically, it was common for the “famous” artists that you are probably familiar with to have their art studio and home as one. Picasso, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable are among a number who exhibited and allowed patrons to acquire artworks from their personal gallery spaces in their own homes. When I was an aspiring student artist, I imagined that I would end up living in a rented studio space with a bedsit style flat above for the rest of my life, where I would dedicate myself to my art. Due partly to tenaciousness and some fortuitousness, I am now lucky enough to have been able to build a somewhat more luxurious studio and gallery space at my own home, which I can invite you to, in emulation of the old masters!
If you care to look earlier in my Blog you can find my C.V. with it’s list of galleries and exhibition spaces that I have had the fortune to be able to show and sell my work at since I began my practice. Showing my work with galleries has been and continues to be mostly fulfilling experiences, however the climate for buying art has been changing and in modern times, I find more frequently that customers are seeking to buy art direct from the artist.
With the rise of social media, which allows us to see right into an artists life and their studio, today’s art buyer wants to get to know the artist personally, so that they can have a real connection to them and with luck, they will become a patron of their art careers. For someone who started out in the rather elitist austerity of the 90’s art market, where you really needed to get gallery representation to be counted, it is a refreshing development to be able to talk directly to you, my customer, in the surroundings of my own studio over a nice cup of tea (and’ if you’re lucky I might have a biscuit)! And as a customer, why wouldn’t you want the authenticity, hospitality, conversation and immersive experience of visiting your favourite artist in their natural surroundings, where you can get a full sense of what they bring to their work and take your time to joyfully sift through their portfolio, rather than negotiating the intimidating gatekeepers of the art world to pluck a perfectly presented painted from a crisp white gallery wall without even setting eyes on the person who made it?
We have not yet mentioned money either… Having run a commercial gallery of my own for eight years, I have experienced both sides of selling art work, from the artists perspective and the gallery owners too. Many artists stumble at the thought of selling their work via galleries because of the hefty commission rates deducted from the retail price of their artwork which can range from a very low 15% right up to 50% plus VAT - the more prestigious the gallery, the higher the commission tends to be as the assumption is that their customer base will be more desirable - the artist is effectively paying the gallery to reach the best customers to sell their work to. The commission rate at my retail space in Bridgnorth used to be a fairly average 40%, and I used to receive some feedback that it was too much. Artists tended to perceive that money from their sales went straight into my pocket, however I had bills to pay! A retail space, of course, has overheads such as, rent, electricity, water, business rates, postage, etc. to pay in order to even exist before any wages can go to owners or staff. Both sides of the coin are tough to be in, and selling art this way isn’t easy, but when it works well the arrangement between artist and gallery owner can be very mutually beneficial.
From the customers perspective, entering a gallery to browse and buy art can be an intimidating experience. The feeling that you must be reverential and knowledgeable follows you in and you worry that you might make a fool of yourself by coming over as ignorant. Artwork is often quite expensive, due to the long hours and years of development an artists puts in to creating something, as well as taking in to account the commission that the artist has had to think about in order to take home enough return from the sale. The displays are often carefully curated, so it is difficult to get a feel how the art might look in your own home and you only have a few works by the artist that you love to choose from, not a whole studio full. Worst of all you may get pounced on with a sales pitch by a member of staff who is not an artist, but is trained to trap you in awkward conversation for hours when you just wanted to have a quiet look - my advice is to avoid that type of gallery at all costs…you know the ones!
As an artist, the ideal is to reach your customer direct. The occasional artist may have perfected their sales pitch, but most of us are human beings just trying to make an honest living! They can explain everything about their art to you in laymans terms and if you are not sure about a particular piece they usually have several more to choose from lying around. To cut out the middle man enables a real and direct communication of what the artist is trying to convey in their work, rather than the somewhat curtailed and pretentious version of it on a little square of writing next to the artwork that you might find in a gallery. The artist would usually prefer to sell to you directly and be able to receive 100% of their asking price for a piece of work than give up half of it in exchange for the privilege of access to the galleries connections and mailing list. Many artists in the U.K. fail to earn minimum wage, often because of the barriers in connecting to their customer as well as the overheads involved in trying to get their work seen in the first place.
So in answer to the question, the single best way to buy art in the today’s climate is to seek out the artist themselves. If you don’t know where to start, begin by searching using keywords such as “Contemporary Artist” or “Local Artist” on social media or online - places like Pinterest or YouTube, or you can look out for Art Trails and Open Studio Events where you can visit a lot of studios in a day. Start to get an idea of the type of artwork that excites you - go with your gut feelings. Once you have located your favourite artists don’t be afraid to make contact and see if they have a studio that you can visit either by appointment or when it is open - my gallery space can be visited either way. The experience of meeting the artist, seeing the context in which the work was made, alongside other pieces, ideas and preparatory work will give richness and understanding to any pieces that you choose to take home and make your own. You will feel a much greater pride and connection to the work, when you have it displayed in your chosen spot than if you were given the hard sell at a gallery. And you will have much more to admire and talk about when you show it off to your friends and family! It is more than just buying an artwork, it is a full experience and a personal choice that should be made with the heart - and once you have tried it, it may become addictive - once you have more than one work by one artist you can call yourself a collector! (And don’t forget to give your chosen artist a referral - your friends and family may become collectors too!).
Remember, artist want to connect directly to you through their art, your relationship with what they have created is what it is all about, so it’s only right, now it’s so much more possible to reach them, to bypass the barriers and seek them out in person - we don’t bite! It can only take one visit to get you hooked, but if you can’t visit more than once, there are still easy ways for you to select pieces and buy online. Most work is easy to ship and could make it’s way from the studio to it’s new venue in a day or two.
At my own home you can find my new purpose built accessible gallery space in place of where my old sectional garage once stood, with parking off the main road. I have also commandeered our adjacent dining room as an additional display area. My messy studio is to the rear, where all the magic happens and you can have a peek in too at your own risk if you are curious! Take your time to have a browse and I’ll make you a cuppa. I work from home all the time so you can come along by appointment pretty much any day or if you see my “Open” sign out by the road, just pop in to say hello.
Just in case I haven’t said it enough, whether you are in search of an alternative art buying experience or a personal connection with your favourite maker, my advice to you is the very best way to buy art today is to get in touch and buy direct from the artist themselves - go and have fun out there!
If you would are interested in visiting my studio and gallery space to see what I have available please e-mail me at taniaholland@btopenworld.com or if you are passing Kinver on the A458, look out for my “OPEN” sign and do pop in to say hello!
