Nefertiti Bust: Germany’s Stolen Art
Let's talk about Nefertiti's bust and the lies, the rumors, and the gossip surrounding the beauty. What we do for art, am I right?
How To Promote Anti-Racism Through Art Purchases
Anisa Tavangar was on full attack mode on the Metropolitan Museum of Art this week, and I was here for all of it.
Young Woman And Servant, A Discussion On Race And Historical Perceptions
Join Ebonique on this video tour of Wadsworth Atheneum Museum using the Budget Collector's Art Gallery Journal. It can be a fun activity while in quarantine.
What Are The Next Steps After Economic Withdrawal? A Discussion on Removing Publicly-Funded Racist Art
Economic withdrawal is happening with leaders such as Memphis' Van Turner who bought public funded confederate statues to remove it from public view.
A Few Artists Perceptions on George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor
The secret to purchasing contemporary art successfully is looking for pieces that will not only speak to you now but also to millions in the future.
Social Isolation and its Impact on the Artist
Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh also spent time in social isolation? After Van Gogh infamously mutilated his ear, he spent 53 weeks in almost complete isolation at an asylum called Saint-Paul-de-Mausole.
Animal Crossing’s International Museum Day
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Animal Crossing: New Horizon has become the best-selling entry in the franchise's history and has become the US' third-best launch for any Nintendo game ever.
It is with that in mind that you have to admire what it means that the game is celebrating International Museum Day from May 18th to May 31st. This event is an opportunity for many young people to experience the thrill of art through a medium that's relevant to their everyday experiences.
Animal Crossing players will be able to participate in a Stamp Rally. Players can obtain a stamp card from Blathers the Owl, which you can find in your museum.
The Stamp Rally will allow players to visit various exhibits in your museum to find stamp machines. The players fill out your stamp card throughout the event, and you will receive an in-game reward. The in-game bonus is a golden plaque that you can hang on your wall or sell for Bells.
On Buying Art Directly From An Artist
The benefit of buying art within a gallery or an art auction is that generally speaking, these institutions have a set of known buyers who could buyback the work if you choose to resell it. These institutions set his/her reputation for each new artist they take on. They do not want to see the artist's work be sold for considerably less, because it will impact their reputation in the art market.
However, if you choose to buy art directly from an artist, what do you need to know?
Where is the artist from?
The above question will help you learn more about the artist's background. Art from certain regions are "trendy" and may have higher or lower resale value. You can talk to an art advisor to learn more about region-based art sales trends.
Where, when, and with whom the artist studied with?
The above question gives you a reasonable idea of who the artist is and their investment in their career.
How long has the artist been painting?
The answer will help you understand if art is a passing phase for this prospective artist or whether the artist will create an identifiable canon. Ideally, you want to purchase from an artist who has a unique style that would be imitated by others. You can easily differentiate from the Andy Warhol, Jack Pollock, and the Robert Rauschenberg below:
There are distinguishable differences, even though they were all painters during the same period and sold to a similar clientele.
Where can I see the artist's previous work?
If the artist says you can see it in a gallery or a museum, verify, but that is an excellent chance of resell value. If the artist lists his or her client base, you will have a sense of the type of the clients who buy the art. Other reputable collectors of the artist's art would be corporate or public collectors.
Could you tell me more about this specific work?
The above question is a general open-ended question to learn more about the artist. It can be substituted with another or could be strung with a series of other open-ended questions. It allows you to have a sense of the artist's idea and conceptions of the world. There is nothing more beautiful than knowing the inspiration behind the work in your home.
What's next for the artist?
You should find out how to follow the artist's career. The purchasing of even a single artwork is a long-term investment in the artist's career. The artist should rise in prominence within the art world because that would be the most significant indicator of the artwork's future resale value.
The following questions should be something to search on your own and not directly from the artist:
- Did the artist exhibit artworks anywhere prominent?
- Did the artist receive any popular awards?
I believe these questions may be embarrassing to ask the artist directly, or the artist may lie. These questions should be searched online or from a knowledgeable secondary source.
Gallery Questions
If you're buying from a gallery, similar questions should be asked:
- Where is the artist from?
- How long has the artist been painting?
- Where can I see the artist's previous work?
- Do you have a price list available?
The above question will allow you to know the comparative price list of the artist. It will also give you an understanding of the pricing. A good rule of thumb is to aim to negotiate for an at-most 10-percent discount. At a gallery, the discount will most likely hurt the artist rather than the gallery owner. So intend to buy at the price point to help the artist and the future resale value of the artwork.
The more sale records that you find, the more accurately you can assess the price. Generally speaking, there should be a minimum of five to determine the price range accurately.
However, you should also be aware of where the majority of prices fall. If you're thinking about paying $10,000 for a painting but find that most sale prices of record are under $2,000, be careful. The art may be overpriced, and the seller should reasonably justify the new price point.
The price list will also allow you to see how many unsold artworks. If most of the artist's work is unsold, it may not be a substantial investment.
- Can you buy prints?
Although Budget Collector does not recommend buying prints if an artist has prints for sale, it shows that they are eager to show their work to a mass market.
- Did the artist receive any popular awards?
- Did the artist exhibit artworks anywhere prominent?
- Does the artist have auction records?
- Can I pay in installments?
- Are there any additional costs?
There is some wiggle room in pricing here. If the gallery sets you up with its preferred transportation vendors and installers, you can research and choose your own methods. This process may help cut back on costs.
- How do I display the work?
- Can you provide me with documentation on its authenticity?
How to “Museum” or “Gallery”
Take A Class
Joining a Budget Collector introduction to art collecting course entitles you to a free month of membership.
Become a Member
Membership entitles you to free one-on-one consultations each month and a variety of other benefits.
Let’s pretend museum and gallery are verbs for the context of this blog. When visiting a museum or a gallery there are two opposing ways to do so: (1) a casual observer seeking inspiration, (2) an astute observer seeking to read everything.
Some museums or galleries, you will definitely have the time to be the astute observer. However, I truly love the act of being a casual observer at a gallery or museum. I love the leisurely stroll as I search for inspiration for a clue of something more significant to my prosaic life. I take out my notebook and write clues, “learn more about...,” “find a book about...,” “seek other exhibitions of...”
This way there is no pressure to see just one piece at the exhibit, I feel no need to stay in line to wait for one popular exhibit among a crowd who sometimes trivializes the piece just in the act of gawking. It also allows me to extend the act of museuming or gallerying. This isn’t the one time that I’m inspired by the Medici family’s view of themselves in art, this is a lifetime of learning about the pieces that I love and seeking for more time with that view.
I also love pairing the trip with a nearby restaurant. If you’re with a friend then you can spend sometime discussing the pieces, the atmosphere, or any other related topic. Some questions that you could pose:
- Does the exhibit have any significance to the current cultural milieu?
- Was the space crowded? How could the space adjust more to your taste?
- Could you see any pieces in your own home? Where?
- Do you want to learn more about an artist, time period, or style?
If you took the trip alone, there is no shame in that! Sometimes its very nice to be selfish and view exhibits only through your eyes without any interference. It’s good to craft your own eye, because at the end of the day, beauty and art is subjective. You are free to have your own taste, no matter what critics could possibly say.
However, if you took the trip alone, I still urge you to go to a restaurant alone and contemplate the pieces. Buy a book or take a pamphlet of an artist or exhibit that made your heart sing. Write a blog, preferably as a member of Budget Collector, so that others could read your thoughts and visit your favorite exhibits or avoid the places that you just found distasteful.
You can join our membership or take a class to earn a discounted monthly membership fee.
In the end, there is no wrong way to museum or gallery. However, I hope you enjoy your time and find works that you want to appreciate and admire.
Ansel Adams at the Wilderness Society
Address: 1615 M Street, NW (in the Sumner School building)
Washington, DC 20036
Website: https://www.wilderness.org/articles/article/ansel-adams-collection-gallery
Hours:
10 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday–Thursday
10 a.m.–2 p.m., Friday
Closed, weekends and federal holidays
Ansel Adams, an esteemed American photographer, donated several of his most significant photos to the Wilderness Society. The photographs are a view of America, not as a consumerist icon, but a view of America as a place of solitude and reflection. For many tourists who visit America, they can be tempted to just visit the flashy and the well-advertised corporate reflection of our society. But I would argue, that what makes America great is the landscape itself, the natural beauty that merges both dry and arid areas of New Mexico with lush tropical rainforests of Washington state. The same continent can have so many different regions...can, of course, fit so many different people.
In the currently partisan and divisive city that many can view our nation’s capital, taking time to reflect upon Adams’ work gives you a moment to strive for something better. It allows you to contemplate whether you will be challenged to explore the great American landscape or will you take America at just the surface corporate values?
Nearby Restaurant
Lincoln
1110 Vermont Ave. NW
Washington, DC
(202)386-9200
Website: http://www.lincolnrestaurant-dc.com/
Hours:
Mon-Thurs 11am – 11pm
(Kitchen closes at 10pm)
Fri 11am – Midnight
(Kitchen closes at 11pm)
Sat 5pm – Midnight
(Kitchen closes at 11pm)
Sun 10:30am – 10pm
(Kitchen closes at 9pm)
The restaurant has a $25 three course meal lunch option.
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