Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Internet is Changing Art

August 31, 2009 by Marion Maneker

The Telegraph promotes the idea of a new kind of art collector in a series of stories from last Friday’s paper (part of a paid promotional section.) Their idea is that something has changed in the art world with a broader range of buyer interested in acquiring works at the lower end of the price spectrum. As evidence they offer artists like Banksy whose works were originally sold as cheap prints and began to rise in value as his reputation (or infamy) spread. The Telegraph talks to artist Charming Baker:

Conversation Piece by Charming BakerBaker, who has just secured the backing of an American artist-management company, believes that the art world is changing. “It feels less elitist,” he explains. “People are buying what they like, not what they are told to like.”

An increasingly savvy British public is adjusting its relationship with the new art world, with more people finding the confidence to buy. And while some seek the pleasure of looking and owning, others see it as a form of investment. Three years ago, for instance, Baker’s paintings were selling for £600 – they now fetch up to £9,000. The popularity of his work is also being boosted by the fact that everyone can now access it via the internet. So, rather than having to step into daunting galleries, potential collectors can log on to view art in their own homes.

Another artist who spotted the democratic, and commercial, potential of the internet was Banksy, a street artist. His canvases, that originally cost £400 online, have gone on to sell for up to £60,000 at auction. A lot of the initial interest in buying a Banksy, however, was generated by enthusiasm for his prints – which, traditionally, are sold at more democratic prices than original works.

Such success has bred more interest in the prints of better known artists:

When Damien Hirst first released editioned prints of his famous spot paintings a few years back, the price tag was a very affordable £500. Those same prints are now changing hands for more than £10,000. To collectors it is an increasingly acceptable way to own and invest in art. “We were getting a huge range of people coming in to see shows, and quite a few of them asked if there were affordable pieces available,” says Sam Chatterton Dixon at the contemporary London gallery Haunch Of Venison.

In a companion story, the Telegraph talks to Chris Clothier, a young venture capitalist, who has been buying art on the internet:

“Now, if I see a piece I really like at a gallery or museum, I’ll check the internet to see if the artist has a site and then contact them directly. I also use Christie’s Live online auction service – although it can be dangerous, as it allows you to bid for things at the click of a mouse.

“The pleasure you get from having a piece of original work on your wall is infinitely better than a poster. I think my taste is still evolving, and I buy things across most flat media – paintings, drawings, photographs.

“But while my tastes have changed, my budget hasn’t altered too much. The lowest I’ve spent is £300, the most £4,000.

“I have about 20 pieces that I’ve collected over the past five years by artists including Stephen Walter, Elizabeth Huey, Brandon Opalka, Zoe Anderson, Sigrid Sandström.

Start Something Special: Contemporary Art Collection (Telegraph)

The Contemporary Art Collector (Telegraph)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • How Big Is Bank of America's Art Collection?How Big Is Bank of America's Art Collection?
  • The Colourful IrishThe Colourful Irish
  • Basquiat is the New Van Gogh
  • Koons Loans Old Master Works to Parisian Art FairKoons Loans Old Master Works to Parisian Art Fair
  • Drawing Discoveries at an Old Master Fair in ParisDrawing Discoveries at an Old Master Fair in Paris
  • Manet’s Barmaid 1.0 Goes to Sotheby’sManet’s Barmaid 1.0 Goes to Sotheby’s

Filed Under: Collectors

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • A Season of Improvisation: Fall 2020 New York Modern and Contemporary Art Auction Analysis
  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Roy Lichtenstein’s Top Ten Auction Prices
  • Tracey Emin Neon Lights Up Sotheby's 'Contemporary Showcase' Pop-Up
  • Re-discovered John Constable Painting at Sotheby's in December
  • Podcast
  • Login
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor