The art I didn't buy
Aka a lesson I learned in the art business and art collecting
The only thing worse than not buying a dream designer dress on sale is not buying an artwork from an emerging artist you discovered on Instagram.
Today’s letter will be about one of the biggest lessons I learned, not only when collecting art but also when curating an exhibition or running your own gallery business.
Let’s start with art collecting -I started my collecting journey roughly 5 years ago, about the same time I started my gallery business. (You can see how these things go hand in hand. Once I started selling emerging art, I couldn’t avoid buying art for myself. Before that, I had worked in an auction house, and things were different; I wasn’t ready to buy yet. I lacked knowledge of emerging art, and art in auctions was too expensive for me) Anyhow, the point is that during that time, I came across a number of artists that I started following on Instagram, saved their works, or screenshotted because I thought they were amazing. I even got in touch with some of them to discuss a potential studio visit.
A couple of years ( sometimes less) later, those artists signed with mega galleries or broke records in auction sales. And now I can only cry that I didn’t follow through with the studio visit, didn’t talk to the artist, didn’t buy a piece.
Lesson learned:
If you are mesmerized by an artist, always follow through, listen to your ‘eye,’ and trust your instinct. Of course, this practice doesn’t have a 100% success rate ( meaning that not every artist you have your eyes on will become big), but if you are not purely after value appreciation ( although it’s a very nice bonus), you get the artwork you love. So, in the grand scheme of things, you will end up with pieces you love, and some of them will appreciate in value.
I’ve seen this happen to other people, too. So many friends and family regret not buying that piece of art they liked and now it’s either unattainable or financially impossible.
Tip:
If you are unsure or considering a piece, talk to other art collectors or art lovers and ask them what they think. Saying out loud what you like about the artwork also helps to form a decision.
Now, in my professional life ( running my own nomadic gallery) I was a bit luckier but not necessarily wiser. I was the first to discover some great artists who became big after. I trust that my ‘eye’ spotted those talents, but my ‘luck’ was that those artists were essentially unknown - sometimes with zero exhibition history when I approached them to work with me. Whereas many other talents that my so-called ‘eye’ spotted were slightly established in the emerging art world, my lack of confidence told me they were too ‘big’ or too ‘good’ for me, so I missed out on a chance to work with them. Again, these artists are now signed with mega galleries or galleries that don’t let them work with anyone else; the list goes on.
Lesson learned:
Always be confident (even if you are not just fake it) and approach the artist you admire. If you have an interesting curatorial proposal or a cool project to present them, chances are that they will say yes. You never know until you try.
Tip:
Always be rather 'overprepared' than underprepared - include as many information about your project as possible, mention other artists who will be part of your exhibition (unless you are planning a solo show). If possible, arrange a studio visit to establish a personal relationship. Most importantly, show your passion.
And lastly here are some great talents I discovered and worked with
And here are some great talents I missed out on:
