You may be an art appreciator who frequents museums and art galleries, but you may not have started to collect your art because of certain misconceptions. You may think that collecting art is beyond your reach because serious art collectors have unlimited budgets and space to indulge their art collection desires. However, this could not be farther from the truth. The hobby of art collecting can conform to any budget and way of life.

The professionals at West Chelsea Contemporary specialize in helping established and emerging collectors select and organize coveted art pieces for their collections depending on their collection goals, tastes, and lifestyle. They can help you find contemporary and modern art pieces to start you on the path of art collecting. Learn how to collect art so you can include yourself as one with a deep-founded appreciation for art through art collecting.

Why Collect Art?

The decision to collect art can be based on many factors, but they all depend on how you view your unique journey when you start to collect art. You may be enamored with a particular artist and would like to collect all the pieces they offer, or you may want to support the arts by sharing the art you collect so that others can appreciate it. Historical preservation, aesthetics, and investment opportunities might be other reasons that might interest you in collecting art.

Historical Preservation

If your interest is history, you can collect various artifacts, hand-woven tapestries, acrylic or oil paintings, sculptures, and other art mediums that portray a culture's history. This type of collection ensures that history and traditions are remembered and can be passed on to future generations to appreciate and learn from them. For example, if your interest is rock and roll music history, you could collect Bob Gruen photographs that depict rock and roll legends such as John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, and other icons.

Interior Design Aesthetics

Perhaps you'd like to enhance the look of your rooms with artworks that display color palettes or themes based on your interior design goals. For example, you can liven up your garage by collecting paintings created on car hoods. If this interests you, you'll want to see what the artist RISK X Adam Stone offers. If you prefer a neon aesthetic for your game room, Mr. Brainwash creates neon lightbulb pieces on canvases and contains them in plexiglass boxes.

Investment Opportunities

Between 1985 and 2018, the overall art market returned an average of 5.3% annually. During this time, contemporary art reaped the most returns at an average of 7.4%, while art from the Impressionist period generated 5%.

How to Start Collecting Artwork

Once you've decided this is a hobby you'd like to pursue, it's time to prepare for the purchase of your first piece. Some tips that will help you get started include:

• Determine your goals
• Establish a budget
• Research, learn, and gain knowledge

Learning how to start collecting art and which art pieces you'll want to purchase for your collection can be accomplished by knowing your goals and the different types of mediums, techniques, and styles artists use. You can learn more about art collecting by reading about notable artists, visiting museums and galleries, or researching art pieces on social media.

Where Can I Find Art to Collect?

You can find what you're looking for by visiting our art exhibits at the WCC gallery in Austin, TX, or browse our offerings online. You'll find that we have a wide selection of Pop, Street, Graffiti, Post-Graffiti, and contemporary art from emerging, mid-career, and represented artists that you can choose from to start your collection.

Explore the Artwork at West Chelsea Contemporary

The fine arts team at West Chelsea Contemporary has the experience and expertise in multiple mediums of art pieces and interior design concepts that can help build one-of-a-kind collections and help guide you on your unique course of collecting art. Contact us for a one-on-one session with an experienced art consultant to show you how to start building your art collection today!

Image Credit: AnnaStills, Shutterstock