Chowwai Cheung
Fred Ingrams
Sophie Green
Day Bowman
Daisy Cook
Halima Cassell
Barbara Rae
Patrick Hughes
Bruce Mclean
Nelson Makamo
Sandra Blow
Tracey Emin
As Rise Art launch our (relatively) brand spanking new ‘Speak to a Curator’ service offering help and advice to our customers on choosing the perfect artworks, and styling art with your interiors, we sat down with Head Curator Rebecca Gordon to ask her 5 of the most common questions we hear, from whether to buy art for love or investment, to the trends she sees in what people are buying, and how best to display your art. Read on for her expert tips and get in touch today to speak to one of our curators for a personal art consultation, absolutely free.
1) How do you advise people who are interested in starting to buy art?
There are a few things to be aware of when you’re starting to buy art. Browse a lot and get to know your taste, set a budget and know what is out there in your price range. Get to know the artists you like, research a little about their practice and what their work is about and it will help to add greater value to the work for you. Ultimately always go with your heart and choose art that you like. Make sure the work speaks to you emotionally. It should 'stick' in your head and you should revisit it constantly in the days or time after you first saw it. Trust your instincts and never let yourself be pushed into buying anything, often you will regret it. And remember if you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask for advice!
2) What trends do you see among people buying art?
The way art is bought and sold has changed significantly in the last 5 years and the truth is, people are buying more and more artwork without having seen it "in real life". Consumers are loving the convenience of either being able to look at and buy art online from the comfort of their home or if they do prefer seeing the work in the flesh, then art fairs are the next most convenient stop - a great selection of works under one roof. In terms of styles, abstract landscape paintings are consistently one of the most popular types of artwork being bought. This is probably because they tick so many boxes in one work - colour, form, texture and expressive paintwork. Jinsheng You is an artist who is relatively new to Rise Art, but is already becoming one of our best-selling artists on the site. Street photography is also rising in popularity - often containing a bit of humour or political reference which people enjoy, for example Roy's People is a popular new addition to Rise Art and Tomas Cambas is one of my favourites as well for his raw street photographs that are simple but effective.
3) Should you buy for investment or because you love a piece?
This is consistently the most frequent question I get asked. The good news is that the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. The first rule is to buy what you like because you will be living with this work, it should intrigue, excite, challenge and speak to you on a personal level. As long as you love the work, you won't regret it and if it increases in value, that becomes an added bonus! If you do have the investment side of it in mind, then make sure you familiarise yourself with the artist, their background and what they have planned for the future to give yourself a better idea of their career potential.
4) What’s your advice on displaying art?
I really believe there are no hard and fast rules for displaying art - it completely depends on personal taste. There are a number of different ways to do it. It’s great to mix old and new, in terms of artwork and furniture - often contemporary art looks fantastic in traditional interiors and vice versa. There are also plenty of different hanging styles - a salon or gallery wall hang, using the space along the stairs or in a landing, pairing works, or grouping smaller works together to make a big impact instead of using one large work - they are all fantastic, varied ways to display artworks. You can also hang art on brightly painted or wallpapered walls, which looks great and can really draw attention to the artworks. Or be inventive with framing and mounting, using different colours that pop, and placement in unusual spots like sitting on shelves or side tables. A simple white wall and fresh white frame is always a classic winner too!
Some of the Sources of Pop Art 7
5) Do you feel the pieces on Rise Art are a little more accessible, in terms of price, to all types of art lovers?
Yes, absolutely. Because a great deal of our artists are emerging, we are giving customers a fantastic opportunity to buy their artwork early on in their careers for a great price, safe in the knowledge that we have selected the cream of the crop. For our more established artists, such as Sir Peter Blake, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, we sell their editioned pieces, which are an excellent way to buy their work at a more affordable price. Therefore, whether you are looking to buy artwork from an emerging or established artist, from under £200 to over £10,000 we have you covered! It’s also really simple to view works using the price filters so you always know that you’re browsing within your budget.
Tune in for another installment with Rebecca to find out more about her personal art buying style, why she thinks having art in your home is so important and her opinion on the effect of the internet on art. Coming soon!
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About Rebecca Gordon
Rebecca Gordon is the Head Curator at Rise Art. She is predominately focusing on recruiting talented emerging artists to the site and managing Rise Art's board of Insiders as well as advising Corporate companies and private individuals on their art collections.
She previously worked for Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert (London based Modern British dealer in 20th century art) and before that John Mitchell Fine Paintings (Dutch Old Master and 19th century French dealer on Bond Street).
She has an M.A. in History of Art from Edinburgh University.