Buying art that you love may be the best investment you'll ever make - and with a little know-how, it needn't cost the earth, writes Zita Spring
BRITISH ARTIST Damien Hirst recently took the unprecedented move of selling more than 200 new works at auction. It was unusual because it was hitherto unheard of that an artist of his standing would bypass the traditional gallery route, and instead make new work available for purchase through an auction house.
Another thing that had people scratching their heads was the fact that Hirst was doing something so bold in a time of recession. Would people really want to splash their cash on something as frivolous as art in a time of economic downturn? Surely not! As it happened, the auction set a world record for a single-artist auction, making a sale total of £111 million (€137 million).
What the head scratchers did not realise is that while the economic slump is already changing how we spend our money, it's not quite the change some might have expected. We're becoming wiser, more thoughtful consumers who want to spend our money on quality items with longevity and significance. Frivolity is definitely out, and long-term commitment to life-enhancing items is in. Contemporary art falls into the latter category, and is why it's something that belongs in everyone's home, no matter what their budget.
"I think art is for everybody," says Danielle Mac Innes, Irish interior designer and winner of best newcomer at Ireland's premier interiors show, Interior Design 2008. Mac Innes is hot property when it comes to creating, well, a hot property, and she considers art to be an essential feature in every home.¨ Her own home hosts an enviable collection of contemporary Irish art. "I think art is really important in a home because it adds interest," says Mac Innes. "Obviously, things like wallpaper are really fashionable at the moment but art is timeless. A piece of art is something that is going to be with you probably for your whole life. If you buy a nice piece of art and you love it, you're not going to throw it away and you're probably never even going to sell it."
The first step to getting on the art-buying ladder can be the most daunting one - figuring out what you like, and plucking up the courage to enter a gallery and actually buy something. Mac Innes recommends firstly developing your own personal taste by visiting museums and seeing what appeals to you there: "Going to IMMA on a Sunday is such a cool thing to do. Or if you're visiting London, go to Tate Modern. Whenever you go on a city break, always go to a modern museum and look at the art. It's a good way to familiarise yourself with what kind of thing you appreciate."
Irish artist Niamh Flanagan is well-used to spending time in galleries, but even she agrees that they can be quite intimidating places to a novice art-buyer. Her advice is to "relax and try not to get flustered. Think about what sort of thing you might be looking for before you go in, and what elements of a piece you like." She adds: "I find print galleries are very nice to go in to because they have browsers where you can go through stuff at your own pace, and you're not necessarily looking at things on walls, doing the 'gallery shuffle'."
Another advantage to print galleries is that the fine art prints they sell are generally less expensive than paintings, so they can make a good starting point for a newcomer.
Flanagan herself produces beautiful limited- edition etchings, and recently exhibited at the Autumn Affordable Art fair at the Leinster Gallery. "Home" is a strong recurring theme in much of her work, and she believes that homes and art are intrinsically linked. "Art is important in the home because a home is the one place that people have to themselves. It's their own four walls and the place where they close the door on everything that's outside and find a space to contemplate, to think about another world, to meditate. I think people are obsessed with this idea of "home" and finding space because there's so little of it around, so I think it's nice to create these vistas on your wall where you can go somewhere else."
Choosing the right spot in your home to hang a piece of art can be a trial-and-error process. Sometimes, it is best to try an artwork out in a few different places before deciding where you think it looks best. "I would buy an artwork because I think it's a nice piece and hopefully it will go somewhere," says Mac Innes, "and it always does. You find the right spot. If you buy something new, it gets pride of position and another thing has to move."
She says that an artwork should complement the space in which it hangs. "An artwork has to work in its environment," she says. A pitfall to be careful of, though, is matching an artwork too closely to your decorating scheme, or what Flanagan refers to as, "the buying-something-that-will-match-your-rug trap. Of course, you want something to look good in your house," she says, "but you don't want the sole reason for buying a piece of art to be because you have an armchair or a pair of curtains that colour.
Obviously, you need to take your décor into consideration, but I think more importantly you need to think: 'Can I look at this piece of art for the next 30 years? Is it going to make me happy or enrich my life?'"
The assistant curator at Dublin's Oisín Gallery, Anne Lynott, agrees: "Art should invoke emotion. I cannot imagine buying a piece of art because it matches my curtains! There's a chance that the piece of art could lose its spirit if it blends in too much with the overall decor."
Lynott says art can change the dynamics of a room and is a great way to reflect your personality and taste. "I also find that artworks are a great talking point for new visitors to my home. Every piece has a story behind it," she says. Her advice is often sought from art buyers, and she always advises people to buy what they love. "I think most people who invest in art would agree that it is more important to love the painting or sculpture, and to get an emotional dividend from the piece."
For those who've fallen in love with something pricey, Lynott says that most galleries have an option of paying for works in instalments, whereby you can pay for a piece over an agreed period of time.
While some of the art hanging in Mac Innes's home is by well-known and very collectable artists, she maintains that all the art in her home has been chosen out of love. "I wouldn't buy art just because it is valuable. I buy art because I enjoy looking at it," she says.
Mac Innes also owns affordable artwork, and her tips for buying art inexpensively include visiting end-of-year student exhibitions at art and design colleges, and checking out art markets on holiday.
Her final suggestion for those interested in buying art is to find out about artists and events in their local area. "Look on the internet and find out about local artists. Make yourself knowledgeable about what galleries are around and sign up to their mailing lists, so that you'll be alerted every time they have an exhibition. And just go along and see what you like."
Danielle Mac Innes, www.fuseinteriors.ie; Niamh Flanagan fine art prints, www.graphicstudiodublin.com;
Oisín Gallery, 44 Westland Row, Dublin 2, www.oisingallery.com;
Orla Walsh, www.orlawalsh.com;
Graham Knuttel, www.knuttel.com;
Maser, www.maserart.com