Great news, you already an art collection! What’s decorating your walls, shelves, desk, or smartphone background? Taken together, maybe it’s an expression of your identity, your aesthetic preferences, or your favorite artists? Evaluating the art currently in your life is a good place to start if you are wanting to take a more deliberate approach to your art collection, no matter your motivation–decorating your home, investing, discovering new artists, or owning a piece of art history.

Are there any rules to art collecting? Yes, and no. It really depends on what your goals are in building, or continuing to build/edit your art collection.

However, no matter what your goals are, there are two important rules, to keep in mind…

1) Only buy art that you love.

No one else has to live with it day after day. Don’t feel pressured to buy something because you feel like you should buy it, or because it’s a good deal. And…

2) Most art is a terrible investment.

Back to rule number one–you have to be OK not ever seeing your money again after you purchase a piece of art, which is why you have to love it, first and foremost. Maybe the artist’s popularity has waned since you bought your piece, maybe the price you paid was well above the going rate for similar pieces by the same artist. Maybe sunlight or kitchen grease in your home damaged it over time. Whatever the reason, if investment is one of your reasons for collecting art, it doesn’t hurt to learn as much as you can, and we hope to offer as many insights and resources to help you on your journey.

We focus on original prints (not copies of paintings, sometimes called “art prints”), because they are a great way to own original pieces of art at a fraction of the cost as paintings from artists that may sell for thousands or even millions of dollars. Whether you are looking at lithographs, etchings, or woodblock prints–fine art prints can be a great addition to your art collection.

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