What's your Art Personality Type?

What class of art personality are you?

The furnishers – Art is another furniture piece decorating the empty walls. You will only buy art that blends well with the surroundings. Most serious artists create works of expressions which are conceptual, not decorations. Therefore they aren’t very fond of answering questions on whether their art can fit into a specific setting. However, if you really need an opinion on that, do ask! Anyway you’re the buyer.

The investors – There’s many philosophies and styles when it comes to investing in equities or other asset classes. Likewise for art, investing techniques can differ greatly too. Some believe in buying and holding while others prefer a fast turnover. Investors like art also because it’s a good diversifier. Fine art has a very low correlation with stocks and a negative correlation with bonds. (When stocks and bonds have low returns, return in art is otherwise).
Anyway here’s my opinion. If you’re hoping to strike lottery with art, give up. Chances are so rare that it’s better parking your money somewhere else.

The devotee – ‘I like this and nothing else’. They are loyal true fans of a certain style, theme or even artist. They take pride in their area of expertise and would be more than happy to share their knowledge with others.

The adventurous – They are the opposite of specialist. Without a specific taste in art, they purchase just about anything they fancy. They are usually beginners in art collection or are people who have varied tastes.

The crowd follower – You see them at auctions outbidding each other. When you thought that a bid is exaggerated, they raise the bid again. This group follow suit when they observe other people jumping onto the bandwagon. I don’t usually purchase at auctions, but I find such bidding wars highly entertaining!

The addict – It’s fantastic to have friends who are art addicts. They update you on the latest news and events when you can’t find time to logon to Artyii or read the e-newsletters piling up in your inbox. Besides, they always invite you over for tea to view the latest pieces they bought. I haven’t known of anyone sinking into debt by buying art excessively. At least for now, I suppose it’s ok to be an addict.