Around the early 1960’s my mom had a receptionist job for a large bank in NYC. She recalled a time she had the opportunity to buy art from an awkward artist who shuffled into the bank with art tucked under his arm. He laid out several prints and original art that raised a few eyebrows. He had come to see the president of the bank, who my mom worked directly for. As he left, the bank workers commented on this odd fellow, but I don’t believe that anyone was really interested in his art. It seemed too strange.
Can you relate to that experience of buying art? You don’t know if the risk is worth it. You're not sure this will be a good investment. And some Artists sure can be… Odd. Why encourage that behavior right?
It turns out that the awkward artist who was trying to sell his work that day was… Andy Warhol. When my mom told me this, I gasped. WHAT???!!! We could have owned a Warhol??? He was a major influence in my work in art school. Her response was that no one really knew who he was at that point, and had no idea what the value of his art would be.
And that’s just it, right? No one knows. What artist might become really popular, and who might never make it out of the small town they grew up in?
Art is an investment. It’s an investment in the art work that is created, as well as the artist themselves. Buy art that speaks to you. That moves you. Art that is valuable to you regardless of monetary gain.
So I’ll ask again- are you investing in any emerging Artists? You may or may not be investing in an individual, or collection of pieces that increase in value, but you will certainly be investing in beauty, a point of view or a unique style and voice. You will be investing in Art (Capital “A”). What if you were one of the few taking the chance, believing in the artist, ready to be that catalyst that could make all the difference?
Invest in art. Invest in the artist. Is my writing about this a bit self serving? Sure, I have work available for purchase and would love some collectors. If you're interested you can view some of my paintings here. But even if it’s not my art, go invest in something today. It just might make all the different for you and the artist. Who knows, you both might get your 15 minutes of fame too! :)
