The Art Collector
Becoming an art collector and buying art is something that is often associated with only the rich and powerful who have the budgets to indulge their passion. Nothing could demonstrate this more clearly that a recent auction in Christies New York that saw a painting by Manet called Le Printemps selling for $65 million.
This beautiful painting of a French actress holding a parasol is considered one of Manet’s masterpieces. It was first exhibited in Paris in 1882 and has been owned by the same American collection for a century. Le Printemps has been on display at the National Gallery of art for the last 20 years and the proceeds of the sale went to a private charitable foundation in the USA.
The private buyer who has kept his identity secret was unnamed but this is not unusual. Many of the highest investors in the art world keep their identities hidden, buying art and highly valuable iconic pieces just because they can.
However there are some well known art collectors who are more open about their purchases and look to the future rather than investing in a piece of art history. In the UK, Charles Saatchi is probably the most famous and with an estimated fortune of 172 million and his own art gallery – the Saatchi Gallery in London he is well known as a connoisseur and a patron of the art scene. Charles Saatchi pioneered the work of young British artists such as Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst who went on to be household names. While critics sneered at works such as the unmade bed, titled “Everyone I have Ever Slept With” and the shark in formaldehyde, “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living” Charles Saatchi has quietly bought these pieces now worth far in excess of his investment.
Become an Art Collector? It is possible to be an art collector without a huge budget. Much of the skill of the art collector lies in looking to the future and not the past. Artists do not come with a label saying “genius “or “great for a future investment” after all. The only way an artist can progress is if their work resonates or if people are interested and want to own it themselves. You can be an art collector by just using your eye and picking out what may become valuable in the future. By buying art that you like you can develop an art collection that may prove to be a canny investment in the future. And at the very least original art will transform your home and create a truly unique living space.