We all love supporting our favourite artists. Whether that’s going to shows, art fairs or posting their work all over our Instagram feeds, there’s no denying that art girls are artists’ biggest fans. But, how many of us can actually afford to buy their art? Probably, very few. Starting salaries in the art world are notoriously low, and don’t even get us started on unpaid internships. So, how then, do we go about owning artwork by the artists we love? Well my friends, that is where we are here to help you!
Buy Prints
Many of your favourite artists will make prints of their works that you can buy for a fraction of the price. Ok, you won’t have an original, but who cares? If you love the work then having it on display in your home will be enough, and you’ll still be supporting that artist you love. It’s a win-win.
Support Graduates And Emerging Artists
Probably one of the best ways to buy affordable art while supporting the Andy Warhols of the future is to buy from graduates and emerging artists. There are also great platforms to help you acquire their work like Auc.Art and Emergeast. These young talents will most likely be pricing their work low, so you’re much more likely to have the funds to purchase their pieces. It’s also an exciting game waiting to see whether they’ll fade away into the background or if they’ll sign with a blue-chip gallery.
Buy A Share In An Artwork
Very few people can afford to buy pieces by Picasso or Modigliani, but there are now initiatives like Masterworks that let you buy a share in an artwork that you might expect to see in a museum. They allow you to purchase shares that represent ownership in a painting, in a similar way to how people buy shares in companies, making art buying an investment.
Collect Experiences
More and more art is performative these days, meaning that it’s very difficult to actually purchase. Instead of buying paintings, why not collect experiences? Pop along to museums to see performance artists live in action; they’re often free and will make great dinner party conversation. So, while you won’t technically have anything tangible from this, you’ll have something money can’t buy.
Befriend An Artist
And last but not least, why not make friends with an artist. Who knows, you might get lucky and be gifted an artwork, or better still, they’ll make your portrait.
Text Lizzy Vartanian
