How to Build an Art Collection With Confidence

                                        Firenze-Piazza Signoria                                                   photography by Elizabeth Carmel Fine Art                     

Since this is a subjective exercise, with an intent to be objective, I will do my best.  My point of view will help you in the process.

Exceptional collections have been built on a single guiding principle: discerned collectors who focus on one subject, procuring the very best to form a comprehensive collection, which is remarkable for its cultural and chronological breadth.  Others choose the very best in a variety of fields, creating strong artistic tensions that deliver tantalizing visual harmony through dramatic contrasts. 

Visual harmony aside, the collecting process entails an abiding passion and interest. Purchasing art and antiques versus procuring art and antiques distinctly differs. The latter entails forming relationships with dealers, keeping abreast with your chosen genre, and checking on what ''your'' artists are creating.  More importantly, to assemble a remarkable collection requires passion, imagination, persistence, not to mention patience. These are the hallmarks of the true collector.

If you are a beginner to the world of art and antiques, the best way to get started is to seek out works of reference with concise information on the subject.  Additionally, museums, auction previews, galleries, and antique shops all afford excellent exposure.  Some museums offer workshops to enable the collector to gain hands-on knowledge of the works exhibited in the museum. Like a good gust of wind, the experience will shed new perspective. Curiosity is an asset. Let it guide you to areas of collecting, even if it is unfashionable at times.  Doris Duke among others had amassed a significant collection by doing so. Learn terminologies of the trade, and ask questions.  It is important to remember you can never know too much when collecting art and antiques .  Albeit it is a gamble whether that knowledge will pay off in the form of increased net worth, you can be assured  it will broaden your horizons and beautify your surroundings.

Keep in mind a collection endures over time as a result of authenticity, rarity, condition and aesthetic appeal. More importantly, these are not the only prerequisites of a memorable collection. There must always be an added factor that raises a collection of great works - objects that amuse and capture the imagination.  It is fascinating to witness how even the most classical of objects can evoke a dialogue with 20th Century paintings. The communication which can occur between the world of the senses and the world of ideals builds clever bridges between periods and genres. This quality of quintessence is a measure of longevity, and it creates a measurable buzz.

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Design that Endures

THE LANGUAGE OF BALANCE: Harmony is dependent upon proportion; it is the dominant element in all arts of design. The attempt to formulate laws of proportion was first made by the Greeks, through whose unique genius the whole realm of human thought and emotion found expression.

Design that Transcends What's in 

and What's Out

By the middle of the 18th century, the rediscovery of ancient Greek art and architecture turned the artistic tastes of Europe in a new direction, which began the movement known as Neoclassical.   A similar admiration came about for the art of ancient Rome via the excavations of the towns of  Herculaneum and Pompeii in the 1730s and 1740s respectively. The classical ideals of order and moderation which inspired this period, its realistically limited aspirations, and its emphasis on the common sense of society rather than individual imagination, could all be characterized as rational. And, indeed, it is often known as the Age of Reason.  
Development of artistic forms is conjoined with the political movements of the era.  Politics spawns stylistic innovations, setting the tone for a domestic style - one of elegance and simplicity. While the early 18th century Rococo style was associated with aristocracy, the neoclassical style emerged as a revolt against the ornate aesthetic qualities, condemning the aristocratic qualities rococo came to represent. Neoclassic is a return to a noble, more sober Classicism characterized by order, symmetry, and simplicity of style.  The design is subtle; the statement is anything but. Neoclassical remains one of the most influential of all design styles.

France was first to embrace this new order of design, which is exemplified in three phases: Louis XVl , Directoire and Empire style.  In England this new order of design corresponds with late Georgian and Regency periods, and the Federal period in newly formed United States of America.  At similar time in northern Europe, Biedermeier furniture, an influential style of similar order, originated from Vienna to Stockholm, encompassing Germany, Scandinavia, Russia and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. There are, however, many regional variations to the furniture.  Although the best Biedermeier furniture was produced between 1820 and 1830, the period is regarded as extending from 1815 to 1848. In continental Europe, however, the rediscovery of Biedermeirs at the end of the nineteenth century has exerted a virtually continuous influence upon architects and designers. This continued into the early years of the twentieth century, when it began to influence Josef Hoffmann, the Bauhaus school, Art Deco, Le Corbusier and others.
Today, these understated styles still remain time-proven pieces that never fade, bringing a classically based, yet fresh and modern aesthetic to a room.  Collectors and designers across the globe favor the subtle elegance coupled with the ease to combine furniture of varying quality and provenance. Some designers excel in designing this way, creating interesting combinations and unexpected juxtapositions.
So, whether it’s the classic look or minimalist to modern - these classical styles stand the test
of time — exuding timeless elegance. Investment pieces which can be passed down through generations.