BUYING ART IN A DOWN MARKET
A Guide and A Deal from Jim Kempner
Jim Kempner, renowned art dealer and gallery owner of Jim Kempner Fine Art in the heart of Chelsea, schools us on the collectability and importance of original prints. Jim specializes in, among other things, master contemporary prints. Those would be original prints by museum quality artists. Originally a collector of 17th Century Dutch prints, Mr. Kempner became very interested in prints from a historical as well as a technical perspective. After studying print-making with several master printers, he began dealing with master prints in 1986.
It’s important to remember we are dealing with original works of art, not reproductions of paintings.
The 500-year-old art of printmaking has given us some of the most powerful and beautiful images in the history of art. The names of artists who made or make prints which are collected by the greatest museums in the world include Picasso, Rembrandt, Warhol, Jasper Johns and so many more. In 2014, a 1937 etching by Picasso sold at auction for over $5 million dollars and a Jasper Johns screenprint, Flags I, from an edition of 65, sold recently for $1.6 million dollars.
1. Always buy what you love.
2. Everyone knows what they like, but it’s also true that the more you study the art and artists you start to like what you know.
3. Collecting prints by artists you’ve admired in museums is a great way to start a collection. Where an Andy Warhol painting will run in the millions of dollars, it is possible to own an important screenprint by him for $40 or 60,000. Less important Warhols can sometimes be found for under $ 10,0000. Many can be found in major museums like the Museum of Modern Art in New York which owns over 60,000 prints and multiples.
4. Go to galleries (or these days go online and peruse virtual art exhibitions) and ask questions. Study. It’s informative and fun.
5. Some good sites for buying art include Artsy, Artnet and Artspace
6. Buy the best piece you can by the artist you want to collect within your budget. It always pays to stretch to get the one you
really want. I never regretted a buy I stretched for but I have regretted more than a few I didn’t.
7. I never suggest someone buy art as an investment but if you find dealers you trust and if you buy well established artist who have work in museums, art often outpaces the stock market. (Diversity always smart in times like these)
8. Look at emerging and mid career artists, that is often the most fun. Also in times like these, they are the creative members of the community hit the hardest.
9. If you are like me, you will find collecting a passionate hobby that won’t let go. Living with art will enrich your life.
Jim is offering this month and through May a fine art print sale only through PROVOKR, where you could start your collection or add to an existing one with works by Warhol, Rauschenberg, Alex Katz, Robert Motherwell and other highly collectible artists at great prices. Contact him at jimkempner.com and see if you can make a great deal.
