Your journey begins with us. Read on to discover the step by step guide our team put together to help you build a collection tailored to your preferences, needs and image.
1. EDUCATE YOUR EYE & LEARN ABOUT YOUR PREFERENCES...
Whether you are collecting as a personal hobby or you are building a brand image for your company, collecting art implies that you’ll engage in a dynamic learning process. Not only will you get to know yourself better by discovering your taste in art, themes, and time period, you will also discover a universe that harbours rich interconnections with history, philosophy and politics.
In order to build your heritage, you will have to make choices based on the differentiation between “decoration” and “collection”. Investing in decorative pieces implies that the artworks you display can be replicated. On the other hand, an established collection of artworks, while it can also serve decorative purposes, is valued for the uniqueness of its pieces and their relevance in art history. Educating your taste requires that you confront yourself with the artworks and their environment.
We encourage you to visit renowned museums, galleries and temporary exhibitions in order to immerse yourself within a variety of cultural fields. Pay attention to what element catches your eye, the colours and shape you notice first and appreciate the most. Take the time to research the story being depicted, the context during which the artwork was produced, the artist’s philosophy, the various techniques adopted, etc.
A FEW READING SUGGESTIONS...
To acquire solid knowledge in the matter and familiarise yourself with your taste in art, here are a number of literature references in the field, accessible to anyone and highly interesting.
➡︎ The Story of Art by Ernst Gombrich will provide you with a global overview of over 2 millennia of art movements and techniques. The Phaidon edition offers admirable illustrations to facilitate your reading and properly identify the specificity of each time period in art history.
➡︎ Daniel Arasse’s Take a Closer Look not only explains in detail a selection of foundational artworks for their time period, the author teaches us the question we must ask ourselves and the details we should pay attention to in order to extract as much meaning as possible from the piece.
➡︎ In order to delve into the modern art era, we recommend taking a look at History of Modern Art by H.H. Arnason which renders the essential account of 20th-century art, a reference for all the experts.
➡︎ If you wish to blend art history with insights into the artists’ minds, Georgio Vasari’s Lives of the Artists gives you an idea of the mindset and life story of the most influential Renaissance painters.
2. GET TO KNOW THE CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE...
The contemporary art scene evolves as long as the patrons and institutions show interest and invest resources. Choosing to pursue a young contemporary artist is a great way to witness their evolution, influence their prevalence in the art market and build a relationship with a potentially future renowned artist. Furthermore, discussing an art piece with the artist by your side brings about a wholly different experience and insight into the matters at play than speculating about an artist’s intentions when they are no longer among us.
Additionally, emerging contemporary artists are often in tune with the current socio-political atmosphere and context within which their art is coming to life. A good amount of their artistic production reflects on current global challenges and modern political ideals. Immersing yourself in this field, in addition to getting to know the artists themselves, can offer a different perspective as well as diversify your interest in current events.Finally, confronting yourself to current prevalent themes and techniques in art can also help develop a different appreciation and understanding of ancient art, by comparison and contrast.
3. CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY...
In order to start off your collection on the right foot, it is important to get to know the community from the inside. This step can lead you to have many insights regarding the evolution of the art market and interact with passionate individuals who will encourage you in your endeavour as well as assist you in your research and the development of your collection.
We encourage you to surround yourself with experts from established institutions and private galleries by attending solo exhibitions, conferences as well as workshops. In addition to being a great opportunity to network, it gives you the chance to make your collector status known and observe who is more interested in guiding you through this journey.
4. GET A RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT & PASS ON A LEGACY...
The art market has strongly recovered since the 2020 pandemic and it is becoming a haven of safe investment for wealthier individuals who foresee a clear potential for high returns on investment.
According to the 2021 Art & Finance Report by Deloitte & ArtTactic, 85% of wealth managers are developing holistic advisory relationships with their clients by including art and collectibles as they have proven their ability to maintain and appreciate in value, over the past 10 years. Furthermore, we witness stronger financial motivations behind art collecting. In 2021, the aggregate value of art and antiques sold by dealers and auction houses reached an estimated $65.1 billion. In other words, the total value was up by 29% from 2020 and managed to surpass pre-pandemic levels of 2019. In addition, the US remained the main market for art and antiques last year, representing 43% of worldwide sales by value.
If you are wondering which sector yields the most success : Post-War and Contemporary art maintained its position as the largest sector of the fine art auction market in 2021 with a 55% share of the value of global fine art auction sales. According to the 2022 Art Market Report by Art Basel, “sales in the sector totaled $6.7 billion, an advance of 42% year-on-year, with the number of lots sold also increasing by 13%”.
Not only are you investing in your passion, you are diversifying your asset portfolio and opening new doors you had never considered. Indeed, Deloitte & ArtTactic also project that art-secured loans in 2022 are to grow by 9.4% for private banks and 19% for asset-based lenders. In conclusion, the overall art-secured loan market could reach a total of US$31.3 billion by the end of 2022.
Finally, your passion and investment today could benefit your family later. Your art collection could secure your family’s future and represent a crucial part of its legacy with emotional value attached to each piece.
5. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY... LET US HELP !
Once again, whether you are collecting as a personal hobby or you are building a brand image for your company, it is very unlikely you will have enough time to dedicate yourself to researching art pieces, scouting auctions and building an expertise in order to appraise the artwork yourself. That’s where we come in the picture ! With our own experts, experience and network we can lay the path for you and ensure that the time you spend collecting is well spent and rewarding. Whether you want to learn along the way or come in at the decisive moment, our approach is adaptable to your needs and preferences. Gismondi & Darmo strive to make sure your collection reflects your passion, your ideals and the quality of your investment.
Are you ready to begin your journey ? Contact us and we will get back to you with the the tailored plan and the best pieces of advice you need to pursue your passion.
