What type of collector are you?

What is a collector? Most of us know deep inside what it means to collect. Weren't we all collectors as kids? Comic books, 45's, albums, cassettes, stuffed animals, rocks, baseball cards, bottle caps, jacks, beer cans, candy wrappers, shells, stamps, stickers, postcards, Absolut Vodka ads, etc. My dad has an amazing collection of airplane Emergency Evacuation Cards that he has gathered off of airlines from around the world. My brother has a very funky belt buckle collection. Look around your home and you may stumble upon collections you didn't even know you had. Do you prefer to own DVDs instead of renting them? Do you have more than one set of china or a random assortment of wine glasses that you picked up in antique stores? Have you brought a rock or a shell home from every trip you have ever been on? How many shoes are in your closet that you bought swearing you would one day wear but have yet to touch those little piggies? These are collections. You are a collector.

So what makes someone an art collector? An art collector can come in many shapes and can most obviously be defined as 'someone who has a lot of art.' Here are a just a few of the categories I've come up with to slice and dice the art collecting community:

The Decorators: This group buys art to fill their spaces and decorate their environments. They care about the color of the artwork to make sure it matches the couch and measure how far off the wall the work projects to make sure it can be hung in a hallway.

The Investors: This group is all about 'buy low, sell high'. They seek guarantees (impossible to come by in the art market) that the works they purchase will increase in value. They enjoy buying and selling at auction. They often work with an art consultant or someone whose opinion they trust.

The Specialists: This group buys art that fits into specific categories. Their collections consist of Mexican art from the 1920's, art that depicts hands, Picasso prints, or art that was made in the year they were born.

The Vacationers: This group buys art during a trip from local galleries and artists.

The Thrill Seekers: This group buys when there is a frenzy around an artist. These people generally buy at a gallery show when most of the work has already sold. They want in on something that is cool or hot.

The Generalists: This group buys art at different times for different reasons. Most have a broad area of interest in art - contemporary or photography or painting - and collect art in waves or whenever they feel moved.

The Addicts: This group buys art because they have to. They generally have more art than space to put it in. They go to shows on a regular basis and strive to keep up with what's happening in the art world.

I have fallen into each of these categories at one time or another. I also believe that art collectors can be a combination of a few of the categories. One of my friends is a 'Decorator Specialist'. She only buys art when she redecorates her home or has empty wall space to fill and only collects black and white photography.

Write me or add a comment on what type of collector (art or otherwise) you are and other categories you have come up with in your experience.

Comments

[mason]

addict..addict..easliy an addict

when it comes to collecting I would fall into the above category...you know you are one if you wake up at 3 in the morning thinking about a piece you MUST have..or, instead of focusing on your date's conversation at dinner , you are thinking about how you can easily afford that new paiting you saw when you are still paying for that last work on paper you bought...

finally, I knew I had to enter a 12 step art addiction program when, after getting a "no go" on a drawing that I wanted, i bought it anyway and had it delivered to my best friends house!...shhhh..dont tell anyone!

[Jude]

Hi,

I came accross your beautiful blog about collecting art. I learned a lot that there are many kinds of art collectors. It is very interesting to know them especially from the point of view of an artist like me. As an artist I would love to understand how people collect art. Your blog is very helpful for me to know them.

Thanks a lot,
Jude
artist

[Robin]

I am married to an Oil painter and the look on his face when I show him a painting I have purchased by another artist is just comical. My style as a collector varies depending on my mood.

I like figurative work with a narrative quality. I visited a local museum recently and spent the most time before this type of painting.

I like to view the work and try to figure out what is going on in the painting. What are the characters thinking. What action is about to take place.

This kind of painting holds the most appeal for me.