Which artists should I be collecting?
- Jeanette Johnson
- Mar 29
- 3 min read
Who should you be collecting art from? The common vernacular here is "I have a (insert artist's last name)" as in, "I have a Monet in my 2000 square foot custom-designed closet."
Now, every artist has to start somewhere, otherwise no one will ever know their name! So you can help support and set them on that path by looking for art at all levels!
Who should you collect? You should collect art by the artist whose work speaks to you the most.
This is Part Five in a series of articles in which I'm going to cover three main topics:
Why would I want to start “collecting” artwork?
Where can I find quality artwork?
Who should I be collecting?
This is part one in the subject of WHO. Who should I be collecting?
A piece of art is often so closely tied to the person who made it that collecting it can feel like taking home a small part of them. And honestly, that's not far from the truth.
As an artist gains attention, more people start talking. Praise builds. Work sells quickly. It's easy to feel that little rush of urgency—what if you miss your chance? If you can purchase a piece and it fits comfortably within your budget, go for it. Just pause long enough to ask yourself why. Are you buying it as an investment? Or do you feel a real connection to it? Both are perfectly valid reasons. What matters is that you're honest with yourself.
If you plan to live with the work, think about how it fits into your space. Does it feel at home with the things you already love? If it's abstract, does the artist's idea resonate with you? Do you understand it—or at least feel curious about it? Don't let popularity make the decision for you. "What's hot" fades. You're the one who has to see it every day.
I buy work that pulls me back in. Sometimes it stirs up a memory. Sometimes it points toward the kind of life I want to build. Sometimes I just want to sit in front of it and look for a long time. I've circled back to a festival booth because something won't let me leave.
Your Assignment This Weekend: Find the first artist you purchased from and see were they're at now in their career.
It's always nice to catch up with a friend you haven't seen in a few years, and this is no different. You've made an emotional connection with this artist, and why wouldn't you want to see if they've made strides in their career? They may have created a new piece that you HAVE to have!
How does this help me when collecting art?
After finding out that an artist you have collected from has made a jump to a more exclusive tier of the collecting world, you might discover that a piece in your collection has also jumped in value. How delightful to discover that you're now part of a select club!
Now, this might not happen to you, but still, you can dream, can't you?!
Want to read more? I have the FULL GUIDE available to download! Click here to get my guide to Create a
Stay tuned for the next installment in this series about "How to collect art" and if you haven't already - subscribe to my email list for alerts when new artwork drops and you'll get first access to new pieces!
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