Collecting Art (Part 2 of 3)

What type of art should be collected and who should collect it? (Part 2 of 3)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so too is art. The categories of 'good' or 'bad', 'beautiful' or 'ugly' are insufficient to properly judge the true value of art. Art needs to be able to touch the interests of the individual via their body, spirit and/or mind. Any work that can touch one of these aspects of the viewer can be considered to be meaningful and worth acquiring. Any work that can touch all three aspects of simultaneously can be considered to be "sacred" or a masterpiece and worthy of greater interest and a corresponding higher financial value.

As we grow and mature the focus of our being continually fluctuates between the body, spirit and mind. The prevailing focus of one's life at any given time will be the catalyst that dictates your art taste at that moment. So, if you are at a spiritual stage in your life, you will seek people, objects and art that have a spiritual resonance and message for you. This will also be consistent with a physical and/or mental life focus therefore influencing the type of work you choose to collect.

A collector of art is anyone who owns more than one piece of art imagery (e.g. sculpture, photograph, painting. etc.) for the purpose of enjoyment and/or personal meaning, regardless of its format or price (i.e. original work, print, poster, cards, etc.). With this definition the seemingly exclusive and elite activity of art collecting is simplified to include as a participant, everyone within a community.

Essentially, the amount of money you have and the type of work you can afford should not be a barrier to participating in the process of art enjoyment and collecting. Art ownership at any level not only supports an artist but also the formation and maintenance of the cultural identity of a community. Art collected by a variety of community members makes the development and sustaining of culture a valuable societal activity.

So what you perceive art to be and the type of art you can afford to acquire should not be barriers to defining who can collect art and assist in the validation of a community's cultural identity.