Collecting Fine Art

Collecting fine art is a funny/serious thing in our contemporary time. It's been a delicate matter since art patrons realized that supporting their favorite artists was an ongoing investment, the price of pleasing some visual indulgences as costly and addictive as a favorite cocktail...and did we mention the keeping up with the Jones' syndrome? Okay, let’s discuss this seriously.

I’d like to start with personally defining fine art. Wikipedia (you're reading a digital article, right? so let's keep it digital) defines fine art as "any art form developed primarily for aesthetics rather than utility.^[1] This type of art is often expressed in a limited number of visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, architecture and printmaking. Schools, institutes, and other organizations still use the term to indicate a traditional perspective on the art forms, often implying an association with classic or academic art." Mirriam-Webster states fine art is defined as a function dating to 1739. It is further defined as: 1 a: art (as painting, sculpture, or music) concerned primarily with the creation of beautiful objects —usually used in plural b: objects of fine art and 2: an activity requiring a fine skill.

The definitions go on and on, please click on Mirriam-Webster or Wikipedia for the full source definitions, I'm sure you get the general idea. In my case, and for purposes of this blog, I want to discuss collecting painting and sculpture.