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Underground > Art, Fashion & Design >

Buying Art

10:32 / 22.08.05

I recently moved into a bigger flat and subsequently have acres of dull magnolia wall space that is begging to have pictures hung on it.

I recently bought two paintings from an artist friend. I love the texture, depth and radiance of actual paint on canvas, and I’m sold on the idea of having originals if possible.
So I’m in the market for a number of pieces, ideally quite large pieces, and I haven’t a clue about the smart way to find them. I’m on a bit of a budget and really can’t afford regular London gallery prices. What are my alternatives? Someone mentioned to me that you can scoop up bargains at art schools’ end of year shows, but I wouldn’t know where to start.

Anyone got any advice, recommendations or want to share their experiences? If anyone’s ever commissioned anything, I’d be interested to hear about that too.

Keith, like a scientist

14:19 / 22.08.05

my only advice is to find artist you like and buy directly from them. galleries and agents always take a commission.

i generally buy all my art from the actual artist, if i can help it.

i haven't bought anything too large...the largest thing i bought was a Matthew Curry (Ninjacruise) original piece that I just completed framing myself this weekend. I'm very happy with it on my wall now. I did a great job framing it, i've gotta say.

I've been on an art buying kick for a year or two now...i try for originals, but sometimes buy silkscreened pieces, as well.

15:11 / 22.08.05

Yeah, I'd definitely prefer to buy from the artist directly. But that's part of my problem. I don't *know* many artists. I only ever see art in galleries, and generally if its inside a gallery it's outside my budget.

It's annoying. I'd have thought that the internet might be making it easy for new artists to connect with an audience outside the gallery system, but I'm not getting much joy.

Goodness Gracious Meme

15:59 / 22.08.05

Artschool degree shows are worth checking. You've missed this years, but for details of artists/contact info, so as to be able to Google them, check out The Time Out guide or the University of the Arts'(the ex London Institute, comprising, Camberwell, Central St.Martins, Chelsea, the Central School of Communication and London College of Fashion.) site, which has ongoing events stuff. Also, Goldsmiths Visual Arts dept's events calendar

Keep an eye on Goldsmiths' listings as well

16:02 / 22.08.05

Dahling, you're fabulous. *mwah mwah*

16:52 / 22.08.05

Also keep an eye out in local arty coffee shops etc. (or even in the street on Brick Lane, where I saw some very nice little canvas paintings last week). I bought two lino-cut prints from a friend who has had several shows in coffee shops, theatre foyers etc. and am very proud of them, even if I haven't actually managed to hang the second one up yet (note to self).

18:08 / 22.08.05

Yes, of course! And restuarants too. You've reminded me that I was once told that pretty much all art in restaurants is borrowed and ultimately up for sale. Good call.

Goodness Gracious Meme

18:28 / 22.08.05

Darling, of course I am, my MA is in *mwah*.

Few more things of potential interest:

Artshole: listings, galleries, events.

Any of the areas around the big art schools is bound to have some smaller-scale stuff going on. When term kicks off, have a wander to your nearest one to pick up flyers etc.

Eyestorm is often worth a look for buying prints/photographic art, but pricey.

This Artquest list of small-scale venues might be worth a look, though alot of what I see there covers a range from 'just-starting-out' to 'internationally known'. Artquest is a site for working artists, a good place to hear about what people are up to.

18:40 / 22.08.05

Now we've got hanging space for largish canvases, I'm kinda interested in the same. Other than buying the occasional piece off patients who happened to be artists (and whose stuff I liked), I'm completely naive when it comes to buying original art. This is an innnteresting thread...

Mon Oncle Ignatius

19:12 / 22.08.05

We've got a really nice piece by a friend of ours on semi-permanent loan, which is basically because it was too big for their flat and we love it lots.

Lilly Nowhere has regular exhibitions in her hair salon, which is also a nice way to get people to see the artist's work directly and for an extended period of contemplative time. Some have sold, and the artists find it a great way for people to at least see what their work is about. The openings are also good excuse for a party.

19:42 / 22.08.05

I've wanted to buy some art as well, mainly because I thought that having some original art around the place might motivate me to get off my arse and do some myself.
Anyway, the other day I Googled something silly like "art online" and lo and behold, a number of online galleries revealed themselves. Most had links directly to the artists own website or at least contact details. Seemed to be mainly people not based in London.

A bit off topic (sorry), does anyone know if there is a a rule of thumb or guide for the price one should pay for paintings? I'm talking artists I've never heard of here - the price variance is immense and seems in no way related to the amount of time that might have gone into the production of the work.

20:41 / 22.08.05

That's a good question, and I'd be interested to hear from our resident artists. I'd like to know what things look like from the other side of the easel (and, frankly, by the look of things, if this isn't a business opportunity then I don't know what is).

Mon Oncle Ignatius

23:03 / 22.08.05

In terms of price, I've never known how to work out what to charge - not that I'm selling any of the small amount of stuff I've done (not least because I doubt anyone would want to buy it) and I only ever made it for learning or self-amusement purposes anyhow.

An artist I know decided to pay himself an hourly rate, and depending how long it took him to make the piece in question, including framing/mounting I believe, would set the price accordingly. That seems like a good starting point for setting the value of a work to me.

07:27 / 23.08.05

Link to page of artist friend of ours. We've got several of her bits in the flat, and several of the sculptures lounging around.

10:38 / 23.08.05

Brunner, you should have a look in the Wasp gallery in Stockbridge, near (in fact, behind, I think) Alpine Bikes. It's quite big and seems to have good stuff, though I've only been there once. Prices seem to range from £150 to £500ish.

11:06 / 23.08.05

Ah yeah....keep meaning to go there. Will look when back from holiday. Do you think the stuff is reasonably priced?

I guess I was wondering how to assess the price of a painting NOT for sale in a gallery....

11:29 / 23.08.05

yes, I thought it wasn't bad price-wise - on a par with what a friend charges for his stuff. He had a mini-exhibition at Ocean Terminal and prices were about £150 for a wee landscape (A3ish?) to £500 for bigger ones. 4" x 3"? I'm just guessing there.

15:42 / 25.08.05

Ah ha! This is exactly what I hoped might exist, and it does!

The Affordable Art Fair, Autumn Collection returns to Battersea Park bringing around 125 galleries, dealers and studio groups from across the UK and abroad. The fair is fun, relaxed and, with everything under £3,000, it is an art-buying opportunity that can't be missed. Seasoned collectors can seek out hot new artists, whilst first time buyers can browse amongst the thousands of paintings, drawings, original prints, photography and sculpture.

17:16 / 25.08.05

does anyone know if there is a a rule of thumb or guide for the price one should pay for paintings? I'm talking artists I've never heard of here - the price variance is immense and seems in no way related to the amount of time that might have gone into the production of the work.

that's a tough one, i prefer the barter system, which is how i got most of the artwork i own, but when i do sell my work, I price it by taking into consideration the materials used, time actually making the work, and also how much i'm willing to part with it.
For instance some of my work i would have a very difficult time parting with and will charge more for it. this can be due to personal attachment or sometimes i feel as though the content of the work warrents more attention.
My production stuff (mostly metal insects and such) i don't mind selling at cost or slightly above.
A lot of times you will get a better price directly from the artist. Galleries can take anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of the selling price so artists have to charge the galleries accordingly in order to make any profit.
buying direct from the artist is sort of like buying from the factory, you eliminate the middle man cost.

11:42 / 26.08.05

That looks fantastic Smoothly. I've been looking for something just like that for a while now. Now I just need to find one in Scotland ...

12:18 / 26.08.05

Come down, Loomis! We could have the most financially ruinous Barbemeet evah!

12:35 / 26.08.05

On the price thing, it seems to me that unless you’re buying as an investment, art operates in a very pure market. It’s such a superficial acquisition that you can make an absolutely informed judgement of value just by looking at the thing. So my rule of thumb would be that what you should be prepared to pay is directly proportional to how much you like it. The idea of assessing these things by the cost of the materials used, sounds bizarre to me. Again, presuming you don’t intend to sell it on, an ugly sculpture cast in solid gold is worth less of your money than one you love made of papier mache, surely.

15:08 / 26.08.05

Exactly, art is like food for the brain. Do you like it? Then, yes: it's worth purchasing.

Tryphena Absent

15:36 / 26.08.05

The idea of assessing these things by the cost of the materials used, sounds bizarre to me

Well if you're buying sure but if you're selling I'd think the cost of the materials would be pretty fundamental.

21:29 / 26.08.05

Oooh, nice link, Smoothly. And it's in October... anyone fancy going along en masse for possible art-buying?

15:55 / 12.09.05

Might be a bit of a stretch but...

Does anyone know where I can buy a painting of the Tyne Bridge (or some other typically Geordie thing) in London? Is there a Newcastle shop etc? OR a landscaping paintings from around the UK?? Etc?

14:04 / 13.09.05

Jub you could try.....

This...not in London but online...but a tad pricey!

15:36 / 13.09.05

Thanks Brunner - that's very helpful.

15:51 / 15.09.05

I've been to one of those Affordable Art things, and SO MUCH IS JUST DROSS. Everyone seems to do photorealist stuff, which is technically clever but really really dull. (I suppose it might be better if the actual subject matter or composition was interesting, but it rarely is.)

I'm not saying you shouldn't go, just that it might be better not to get your hopes up too high.

I have some original art, quite a lot of it is pages from comics (cos they're , but I have a couple of other prints and stuff. All of it is sitting in a portfolio because I can't afford to get any of it framed, and I'm worried about some of it fading cos ink on Bristol board doesn't last all that long, compared to other media. But, pages from comics are often cheaper than other media, so y'know, it evens out...

17:51 / 01.01.06

I commissioned a painting last year to give as a gift. I'd seen the artist's work and my bf particularly liked the paintings that had a specific type of image, but those were unfortunately sold. I emailed the artist and told him what I wanted (in pretty vague and general terms) and the piece was delivered to me less than a month later, for about half what I would've paid to the gallery.

However, I do not generally mind the gallery getting a cut. They're not like scalpers. They invest in maintaing a space, help new artist develop, get the word out and help promote, and do a lot of the legwork in terms of scouting out new talent. Gallerists do a lot and I think it's only fair that they should make a living from their work as well.

11:40 / 06.01.06

Yes. My girlfriend runs a small gallery. It an agency system, with all that implies. She does her best to promote her artists, put on good shows, and try to get their work placed as much as possible. For the most part, her artists, even when selling directly to buyers, forward her her cut. The art business, at least in the Netherlands, operates pretty much ok on a handshake business. But Dutch art, like Dutch real estate, is a great way to launder money, so mobsters abound.

For the most part, the artists she represents

03:25 / 10.01.06

bjacques, what happened to the rest of your post?

17:34 / 12.01.06

Sorry about that. I only meant to delete that last fragment.

But I might as well add that lately I've been buying vintage photos (Zeppelins, etc.). Also, vintage photos (albumen prints, mostly) of famous places or interesting scenes turn up just before the dry silver-gel process made cameras cheaper and much easier to use, from 1875 or 1880, depending on your sources. Depending on condition, interest, fame of the photographer and scarcity, they run £20-100, which make them affordable for entry-level collectors.

I mention all that because I've bought photos on ebay and also at antiquariats, and was more consistently satisfied by the latter. And there's no substitute for being able to see it for yourself.

The same fever that's made even minor modern art has hit famous photographers, but there's still a lot out there in any price range.