Agree with Pete buy something that takes your fancy - find a good Gallery - local or most advertise on line and don’t be put off by the price make an offer. Or another way to go is to have something commissioned.
I’m a keen collector and find a local gallery or two to be the best bet. If there’s a particular artist you hanker after I would recommend setting up a discourse with them or their dealer.
This could be due to dealer commission, varying materials ie water colour or oil, or that it’s a piece favoured by the artist. I’ve known artists not being keen to part with some works due to a personal connection with the piece or if it’s an established artist historical significance to other works. Size is not always a contributing factor to price.
A good place to start may be original artist prints, these are produced by the artist and signed, sometimes as being limited in number. Such artists may be members of The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.
Hope this helps Popeye, it’s a fascinating world once you open up the door. But be careful it’s not a hobby for an addictive personality, we ran out of wall space some time ago, having enough to cover the walls a few times over we moved on to ceramics!
Another thing to watch, if you are in the UK, is VAT. Whether you will have to pay it or not depends on who is actually selling the artwork (not necessarily the gallery or shop as they may just be selling on a commission basis rather than as owners of the work). And if it’s a well known artist selling a lot of work then you may have to pay VAT anyway, but if they are selling relatively smaller amounts of art, they may be below the VAT threshold and so not charge it.
Best
David
Most working artists would be thrilled at doing commissioned pieces. More so if some idea is put down on preferences from the buyer. Would also be the best cost effective way.
Although it’s down to you to do some extensive research, finding an artist who’s style takes your eye. Maybe finding a gallery or show that has one up, or kindly asking to visit their studio.
Most cities and towns usually do an open studio week. Although that’s gone out the window right now.
Not sure where you are in the world or what kind of art you like but I have always found Brighton to have rich pickings. Lots of small galleries down there with decent prices. I have never bought for investment, as has been said just buy what you like. I would never have bought Hirst back in the day and clearly a very wrong move on my part. I have found if you like something, normally there will be others that will like it as well and so give it an inherent bid. You can get some nice original artwork for a few hundred pounds which when compared against a decent framed print that hundreds if not thousands of others have seems like good value to me. I bought a piece down in Brighton 10 or so years ago for 90 quid, original oil on canvas and love it, always hangs in the hallway and I have been offered 500 for it, but I wont sell it, but nice to know I have bought something and not lost money on it !
Very true. We fancied a piece at a gallery exhibition but found it had been sold. A quick chat with the artist and we had a very similar one produced.
There used to be a very nice print shop on the Brighton sea front side under the road from memory.
Yes indeed, quite a few down there now.
Ages ago I bought two prints by Gary Hodges, one for £80 and one for £120 the prices went through the roof , still have them , still contemplating selling them simply so I can buy newer prints by either an artist I like or by a photographer I want to support.
Prints, paintings and photos should always be bought because you like them and for no other reason
Some items could appear inconsistently out of the usual pricing due to being originally bought by the foundations bringing things together to show.
You would need to buy off the original price and then all the associated paperwork to sign it off.
Amazed, spoke to one artist and he said Artfinder charge him 45% of the sale price! wow
Galleries take anything up to 60% here. But 40% is the average plus s costs. Most now want you to pay for the space as well (rent). My last gallery went bust and took me for over 10ks and to make matters worst I had to pay the receiver $2,500 to get the work they had back.
Jeez! That’s just criminal.
True, I was selling a few paintings a month, all of a sudden when things weren’t moving I rang to find out was was going on. After being told my work was no longer in “vogue” I started to question my ability. I later found out they were selling them, just not passing it on to me. They did have the hide to keep invoicing me for framing though.
That was almost 7 years ago, I’ve been reluctant to go anywhere near a gallery since.
Did you have no way to prosecute? Actually, scrub that. That probably would be more stressful than being fleeced in the first place. A really horrible story. How do you mainly sell your work now?
No, it was either pay the $2,500 or they’d auction off the work without my approval. Problem is the gallery (partly my fault as well) never kept a written record of work they had on commission.
Funny (although not that funny) enough my family’s company had a business that went bust the same year, and guess what, the same receivers where in place.
Some lovely pieces in here.
Here is something I have by Paul Oz, limited to 49 pieces to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
I saw it in a gallery in a few years ago but ended up buying direct from the artist in the end. Lovely bloke to deal with.
Random fact; The gold flake seen on the visor is actually Kapton Foil (sourced from NASA) which is used to insulate space-craft.
Great paint. Love it when it’s that thick.
Looks good enough to eat.