With just days to go until the 2021 edition of Collect art fair opens its doors – albeit virtually on Artsy.net – we’ve been making a mental checklist of all the works we’d love to see in our own homes. The fair, which this year brings together 32 international galleries, is an ideal starting point for budding collectors offering a wide range of mediums and prices. Whether collecting is a passion sport or an investment, these tips from gallerists, artists, curators and collectors will help you kickstart your craft collection.
Define your goals
Establishing your objectives from the outset will inevitably shape the kind of collection you end up building. If you simply want to surround yourself with beautiful objects, you can take a relaxed approach, like curator Janice Blackburn. ‘I believe what you buy should bring you joy, and I have never followed any buying strategy or policy,’ she says. With so much choice available, however, it can be hard to know where to start and your first purchases can be the hardest. Joern Lohmann of New York-based J Lohmann Gallery – showing at Collect for the first time this year – suggests: ‘I would concentrate on one medium or two at the most and would build a collection with highlights by established artists as well as young emerging designers.'