Who is buying artwork

As the rich get richer, collectors are paying increasingly higher prices for works made by a handful of living artists, leaving emerging artists and the galleries that represent them behind.

There is some pushback to this concentration of the market at the very top — or even to the idea that art is inaccessible to the average person. Superfine, an art fair founded in , describes itself as a way of bringing art to the people.

In spite of these efforts to democratize art, though, the overall market is still privileged towards, well, the very privileged. Sign up for The Goods newsletter. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all.

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By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Why is art so expensive? Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Art collective Obvious Artists who stand out in a graduate show or another setting may go on to have their work displayed in group shows with other emerging artists.

Next Up In The Goods. Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! We tapped experts across the online art-space to break down any stigmas still surrounding researching, buying, and home-styling quality pieces as beginners on a budget. We've come a long way from an art world that once felt accessible to insiders only; today the influx of online galleries allows both buyers and artists all around the globe to seamlessly connect across a multitude of mediums, styles, and price points.

Ahead, the stylists, curators, editorial directors, and trend-experts from four top art-buying destinations Etsy , Saatchi Art , Minted , Spacey Studios , and Society6 share their tips for navigating it all — from search-start to design-finish and even dishing on their own personal firsts.

You can do that here. Make sure the piece you have your eye on will fit well into your home, size-wise. Check the dimensions of the artwork you intend to purchase and cut a piece of newspaper to the same size to use as a guide and see how much space the piece will take up on your wall. You should also think about where to place it, as direct sunlight may affect the medium you choose. Some artists accept offers from customers , so use this filter confidently when browsing through the works of the best independent artists on Artfinder.

Unlike other purchases you make for your home, art is something that requires a great deal of emotion. Your walls will thank you for it. Another dissuasive factor, specific to more controversial works of art, are the types of social or political statements, philosophies, beliefs or values that the art embodies. For example, Joe may feel a risk that the point of view expressed by a particular work of art could potentially become unfashionable or that attitudes toward it will change over time.

Of course, some works survive changes in fashion or trend or style and will always be appreciated as representative of something that was popular at the moment of its creation, but other works may not survive the longevity test. So Joe is likely aware that no matter what art he buys, he's expressing and risking some amount of self-confidence in selecting it, especially with art that's intended to be viewed publicly.

There's always the nagging self-doubt that maybe he's making a bad decision, doubt that may vary in intensity depending on the strength of his commitment to the art. Much of what we buy-- the clothes we wear, the car we drive-- is functional, but yet also reflects aspects of ourselves. Art is no different even thought it depicts things we like to see or feelings with which we can sympathize or concepts that ring true with our intellects.

The art we buy is as much about who we are as it is about the artists who create it. I work with artists all the time to help them improve how they organize, present, price and sell their art, both in real life and online.

All you have to do is give me a call at Current Features How to Buy Art on Instagram and Facebook More and more people are buying more and more art online all the time, not only from artist websites or online stores, but perhaps even more so, on social media Collect Art Like a Pro In order to collect art intelligently, you have to master two basic skills.

The first is being able to All rights reserved. By Robert Klonoski. Follow Artbusiness.