Why Buy Original Art

I love this question. When working with clients and helping to choose artwork for their home or design projects, I am frequently asked about the pricing of original art: Is it worth it? Is this an investment piece? Will its value increase over time? What are the benefits of buying original art?

There are several ways to answer these questions and it always brings me back to my very first lecture at Christie's that I attended in January 2014. I had enrolled in the Christie's Art Business program as a

"non-traditional student" meaning not only was I older than the average student, I was also the only one who didn't live in the NYC area. As a mother with three young children in Cleveland, traveling to NYC for less than 36 hours on a weekly basis, meant that I would cook the day before to prep meals for the family, arrange childcare, lay out the children's clothes and school activity schedules for the babysitter and leave my house at 4:15AM on Wednesdays to walk on a 6:00AM flight from Akron, Ohio that landed at 7:45AM at La Guardia Airport. It was the most affordable flight option from CLE to NYC and gave me ample time to spend 25 Wednesdays training my eye visiting various museums, galleries, antique showrooms, auctions, and prepping for my 6:00PM classes at the old 42nd Street building where the Christie's Education classrooms were located. I would fly home early the next day, to be in the pick up lines at my children's schools, often studying/planning for the next week on my flight and in my car. Every Christie's class throughout the 25+ weeks, with tours and/or lectures, was worth the effort. All classes were a whirlwind and a thrill packed with art information, gallery visits, museum tours, lectures, networking and learning adventures.

It was this very first Christie's module on ART and VALUATION that hooked me back into the art world and answered this "Why Buy Art" question. As I settled in my seat at 5:45PM that January evening, after spending most of the day at the MET and visiting The New York Public Library to see its Folk Art collection, I was tired, wondering if my kids were going to eat on time and do their homework without me back in Ohio. I was a little nervous if I had made the right decision to go back to school and was checking the weather to make sure my flight the next morning was going to be on time when in walked a tall, elegant gentleman, resembling Sean Connery.

My professor introduced, Michael Findlay to the class, one of the directors of the famed Acquallvella Galleries in NYC. Michael was holding his book titled, THE VALUE OF ART. I was mesmerized by everything single insight and word he spoke. On the edge of my seat for the next 90+ minutes, I can probably repeat the lecture verbatim to this day. His web of stories spun decades of knowledge, peppered with tales of famous artists and art collectors, and gave valuable insights to the art markets and the art world that so many of us had found mysterious or at once intimidating. I spent that first night in NYC reading his book cover to cover and with a new found confidence to follow my passion and complete the Art Business program.

THE VALUE OF ART is a book that I gift to clients, collectors and friends who are interested in buying original art and learning more of why and what to buy. This book explains the intrinsic value of art and most importantly highlights how important it is for every buyer (at every price point) to ask themselves some essential questions: "What do you see? What does it look like? What does it make you think of? How does it make you feel?"

These simple questions are used to engage eight year old students in a museum, as Michael Findlay explains, and they bring art to life.

As you can tell from my online gallery, I am a fan of affordable art, being transparent with buyers and helping artists sell their works. I often think of Michael Findlay's wisdom when working with clients. Simply encouraging others to have confidence to buy what they like so that it will continue to bring them joy now and in the future. Remember, you will always find space in your home to hang art that you love.

Art works for sale on my online gallery have been chosen following these principles: aesthetic qualities, originality, depth, their story/connection to the artist or work, for simple joy/beauty and for their investment value. Enjoy owning fine art, as it is more important how an art work makes you feel or how it brings you joy, than what the price or provenance!