8 TIPS ON HOW TO START AN ART COLLECTION.

Contemporary art from Africa is evolving and growing very fast. This booming market offers collectors high quality works at affordable prices. This not only contributes to the development of a rich artistic movement, but also adds to their collection a work intended to increase in value.

nn

If you are here it is probably that you are an art lover who has decided to take the plunge and gradually start his collection. Yes, do not believe that large collections were formed in a day. It takes time and other criteria, which vary from one collector to another, to enlarge a collection and enrich it with exceptional works.

nn

In this post, Kelen offers you 8 recommendations for getting started and growing at your own pace.

nn

1 – Favor the pleasure purchase.

You should not think in terms of investment but rather in terms of pleasure and choose a work that pleases you aesthetically. With this in mind, do not hesitate to visit galleries and fairs regularly, and to interact with art professionals (gallery owners, artists, auctioneers and so one) and with more experienced collectors.

2 – Define your budget.

Be clear on how much you want to spend on buying your artwork. Think about how many works you want to acquire and how often these acquisitions are made, so that your search is more efficient and less scattered.

3 – Why do you collect?

85% of collectors acquire works of art for their emotional value (and we recommend that this be the main reason for collecting works of art), 52% and 51% of collectors also buy works of art to diversify their financial portfolios or for their investment value. (source: Pavillon54)

n

4 – Set a guideline.

The choice of works must follow a very precise line. To define the direction you want to give to your collection, you can ask yourself a number of questions.

n
• Do you want to focus on an artist, an era or a movement?

n

• Would you like to support emerging artists?

n

• Will you choose a specific type of art? Example, contemporary art from Africa.

n

• Will the technique used (painting, photography, sculpture or engraving and so one) be the determining factor?

n

n

5 – What kind of art to buy to start?

Again, it may all depend on your personal criteria, but it would be better to buy a major work of an average or emerging artist, rather than an average work of a great artist.

6 – Where to buy your works of art?

For the purchase of your works of art, several channels are available to you, ranging from art galleries, especially during openings, to art fairs, not to mention dedicated online platforms.

nn

A prospection carried out in these various spaces will allow you to learn more about artists and trends, but above all to plan your collection according to your budget. Do not neglect Instagram, for the discovery of emerging artists who are very present on the web.

7 – The importance of a certificate of authenticity.

Once the work has been chosen, you must ensure that it is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity made by the artist, his beneficiaries, or the gallery owner. Since the acquisition represents an important part of the collector’s heritage, it is also important to ensure that the seller’s title deed is clearly established, in order to avoid any risk of the work being withdrawn.

8 – Seek help from a specialist.

Now that you have an idea of what it takes to start your collection, it might seem overwhelming to you to have to check all of these settings before you jump in. This is why you can request the services of art experts to assist you in all the steps related to the purchase of your first works.

nn

At Art Kelen, we offer you 5 years of expertise in the organization and coordination of cultural events as well as a catalog of works and emerging or already established artists, from the continent and the diaspora.

n

You thus have the possibility to:

n

n
• discover new artists every week, through portraits, detailed biographies and various publications on our blog and social networks;

n

• join a network of collectors who have had to seek our expertise;

n

• buy works of art without worrying about their authenticity or the conditions of their delivery.

n

For more information, contact Daffa today and join Art Kelen community, to further shine the art and culture of Africa.

Follow Kelen on ,Facebook and ,Instagram, for even more news and content on contemporary art from Africa.