Art Collecting

By: Kristin Cheasty Miller
02.03.2004

“My heart was beating so hard, and I just couldn’t believe I’d done it,” he said, smiling and placing his hand on his chest as if to calm memory-induced jitters.
What was it that made Joe Rowand, owner and director of Chapel Hill’s Somerhill Gallery so excited? Making his first serious art investment about 30 years ago. Buying art can be intimidating rather than exciting for some, however, particularly for first-time buyers, so we asked three local gallery owners for advice on making your first purchase a good one.

Rule # 1: Do Your Homework
Without a doubt, the most important aspect of making a smart purchase is to be well informed. Jane Tyndall, owner of Chapel Hill’s Tyndall Gallery, recommends visiting galleries, getting to know local gallery owners and art collectors, and immersing oneself in the environment before committing.

“Get on mailing lists, visit art shows like the one at the Women’s Center, and read the critics. Become a part of the community, because they can help you make informed decisions that cater to your personal tastes.”

Rowand concurs, emphasizing the need for a diverse understanding of the options before settling on a particular style or artist. “You need to spend some time developing a visual vocabulary and identifying what pleases you.”

Featuring a variety of artists from the well-established to the early career break-through acts, The Womens Center’s Through Women’s Eyes, By Women’s Hands is the largest juried art show of its kind in the Southeast. With a diversity of fine art and quality crafts, the show is a wonderful place to do your homework – and go shopping.

Rule #2: Buy What You Love
In a world where glossy coffee table books and slide shows from college survey courses inform most people’s concept of fine art, how can a relative newcomer distinguish between fine art and a pretty picture? The short answer: Stop worrying.

“Always trust your instincts,” Tyndall counsels, “because while the decision to buy is certainly cerebral, it is also very emotional.”

Gregory Lacks, associate director of the Animation and Fine Art Gallery believes that one of the biggest mistakes made by collectors is purchasing art they have little appreciation for simply because it is famous.

“Always purchase works that you want to live with over time,” he states, “and let your individualistic taste dictate your collecting.”

In other words, buy art for the pleasure of having a beautiful object in your home, not to gain admittance to a secret society. So stop trying to learn the secret handshake and simply enjoy that which brings you pleasure.

Rule #4: Take it For a Test-Drive
Before you make a firm commitment to buy it, you should try it.

“Art is not a static object, or an item of utility. Rather, it breathes, and becomes part of your environment,” Rowand explains.

For that reason, gallery owners and artists often let serious buyers take works home on approval.

Think of it as a test-drive, to see how the piece feels and looks in your home, and how you interact with it once it’s in your space. If you love it there as much as you loved it in the gallery or studio, chances are it’s a good fit.

Rule #3: Don’t Buy Art as an Investment. But, If You Happen to Do So…
The unanimous cry from art experts is not to buy art simply as a financial investment. If you love the work, great. If it speaks to you on a personal level, more power to you. But buying a work simply in a cold-blooded calculation designed to make money is a disservice both to the collector and the art community at large.

“Unless we’re talking about buying blue-chip artists,” Rowand said, “it is silly to think of it as an investment.”

Fine art, particularly by established mid- and late-career artists, rarely loses value, so in that sense, it’s generally a safe place to put your money.

“A well-established artist is generally a safe investment, but choose wisely,” Lacks cautions. “Look at who the Guggenheim is buying, not just who they are currently showing. Buy artists whose work has significantly influenced art history.”

It is often exciting, however, to take a chance on an emerging artist, and hope that the investment bears fruit.

“That’s one of the reasons Through Women’s Eyes, By Women’s Hands is such a great show,” Rowand noted. “The jury system allows unknowns to hang in the same space with mid-career, establishment-stamped artists, thus gaining exposure to a much wider audience. And this show is very reputable, with good people behind it. Artists want to be seen here.”

The opportunity for emerging artists increases the credibility of their work, while at the same time offering buyers with a price ceiling the option of taking a chance on a new artist while prices are still low.

“The financial support of local artists is an important one, culturally speaking,” said Tyndall, citing the richness of North Carolina’s art heritage as a magnificent element of life in this state. “Buying art is just one way of making sure that we hold on to the creative and diverse art world that flourishes here now.”

Through Women’s Eyes, By Women’s Hands will run from February 20-27 at the Chapel Hill Sheraton.

Kristin Cheasty Miller is a writer and teacher living in Durham.