Expert Tip Monday: A Beginner’s Guide to Starting An Art Collection

How great would it be to have your own art collection?

Building a collection means surrounding yourself with art that reflects your own tastes, elevates your home decor and even can make a greatinvestment.   The problem is getting started. Buying a full collection all at once takes a wallet fatter than most. But you can slowly, affordably build a great collection if you know what you're doing. 

Here are some great tips on getting started, from the *very* neat site called Qart.com.

They pride themselves on bringing fine art to the masses and they have hundreds of live art auctions every day. (Kind of like an art eBay!)  Here are a few things they recommend to get your own art collection started..

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Buy what you like

Don’t feel intimidated by the art world, purchase pieces that you actually like! Get inspired by exploring different types of art in order to pinpoint what you are most drawn to and go from there.

Go for quality

Don’t settle for mass produced reproductions, posters, or even "originals" that are just copies of classics; and don’t skimp on framing. Your art collection is something that will last a lifetime so it’s important to always go for quality.

Set a budget

Starting an art collection doesn’t require spending lots of cash. There are many options for buying art other than purchasing directly from an expensive gallery or the artist themselves. For example, Qart hosts hundreds of live auctions daily, including many $1 starting bids every evening.  

Do your research

Always learn about the artists and check for authenticity info before purchasing any artwork. Many will come with a certificate of authenticity and some limited edition pieces will be numbered and hand signed by the artist himself or herself.

Build your collection

Once you’ve made the initial purchase, keep it up and build your collection with different pieces over time. As your affinity for certain artists or different types of art grows, so should your collection!
 

(Artwork shown is "Call Me" LIMITED EDITION Giclee on Canvas by David Cowles, Image courtesy of Qart.com)