17 Febbraio 2022   –   Tempo di lettura: 1 min

The purchase of contemporary artwork is often discouraging as it is affordable to those who belong to a certain wealthy and educated elite. 

 Entering the art market world is not easy and buying contemporary artwork often seems an intimidating thing as in the collective imaginary, art is something affordable only to the wealthy and well-educated people. However, the current market is going through a significant phase of development and success: the broad and diversified offer allows always more people to approach the art sector. In the previous decade art was regarded as a store of value – a good in which invest the excess of cash-flow, without giving value to the emotional aspect – or marked as financial speculation mean. Therefore, nowadays acquiring a work of art is also an encouragement for us to think and feel involved in a world to which we didn’t dare to get close. 

What are the factors that lead us to buy contemporary artwork?

 Among the key factors that motivate contemporary art collectors to choose certain artworks for their collection, the aesthetical qualities, the story behind the work and the artist’s skill to arouse sensations, are in the first place. The added value that leads to this kind of purchase is the cultural contribution, the artist’s support and the preservation of art for the future. Today, contemporary art is one of the most requested types in the art market surpassing the great masters from the 19th and 18th centuries. Therefore, in the latest years those who enter the art world and the art market, acknowledge and belief in the intrinsic value of art with its cultural purpose. Beginning from the 20th century’s Avant-garde, particularly from Duchamp on, everybody is part of the artwork and feels connected to it: the artist offers inspiration and his point of view with which we can engage.

The acquisition of a contemporary artwork touches the emotional sphere more than the rational 

 When we decide to invest in the contemporary art market one of the main factors is firmly the artistic and aesthetical pleasure, variables that push us to consider the possibility of a purchase in the first place. How does this artwork make us feel? Why do we like it so badly? Colours, shape, subject… the desire is collocated in a focal point. As we will spend years next to our artworks, it is crucial to buy something we truthfully love: it is the passion for art that should guide us, with respect also to the long-term investment value. Buying contemporary art is like living a love story: there is nothing rational in it, but it is a mere emotional pull that drives us to get close to the object of desire. 

The trusting relationship with the gallerist

 The relationship of trust reassures the client from the aesthetical point of view. However, also its quality as well as its value in the market and the financial investments are relevant factors to consider. It is proper for the gallerist the sensitivity to understand what is the main reason for a purchase, what can be fancied and why, and consequently advising the most suitable artwork. Indeed, the purchase of an artwork is moved from the sensibility and the desire for new experiences: the pure pleasure of owning something that talks about the author’s soul gifting an extra value to the buyer in cultural and emotional terms, besides being in many cases a substantial long-term financial investment.