Why should you buy original art?

by artist T. Miller

Spatial Beautification and Aesthetics

The first reason to buy original art, and probably the most common one, is to beautify your living or working space. The display of original art can aesthetically enhance an area and promote certain feelings of well-being. The importance you give to such an artwork can vary. For example, you can display art simply for decorative reasons, as something to match the curtains or the sofa, so that the artwork visually enhances your environment for practical reasons. However, you may also experience a deeper appreciation and affinity for the beauty of an artwork and the way it interacts with a certain space. As a visually pleasing object, it becomes a focus of attention that whenever viewed, reminds you of the good feelings it brings you. Such an object is truly a treasure.

 Enhancement of Cultural Experience

Another reason to buy original art is to enhance your experience of culture. Like music, art is a great communicative tool – an aspect of culture that is very uniquely human. It is inspired. It is inspiring. It connects us with the rest of humanity.  Art can also be a great interpretive exercise. What was the intent of the artist? What does it mean? Does it reflect human nature, the state of society?  Does life mimic art or art mimic life? Such art-inspired philosophizing only helps to further enable the transmission of culture.

 Uniqueness

The third reason to buy original art is that it has value as a unique item. Unlike mass-produced items or copies, original art is one-of-a-kind. There is a certain appeal in owning an original, in knowing that you own the only one in existence. Perhaps, in our mass-produced world, this idea is even more appealing.

 Investment Opportunity

Yet another reason to buy original artwork is that it can increase in worth, sometimes astoundingly so. Can you imagine where you would be now if someone in your family bought an original painting from van Gogh during his lifetime? Or perhaps bought something made by Calder? Or Abbott? Or O'Keefe? Or Rothko? Or Klee? Or Escher? Or even Bob Ross? The point is that purchasing original art as an investment is a very real opportunity. The problem is that no one can accurately predict the future worth of an artist's work. The recognition given to living artists can often be arbitrary, and is always subjective. The best thing to do is to simply buy something you really enjoy.

A Great Gift

The final reason to buy an original piece of art is that it makes a fantastic gift. And, it makes a fantastic gift because of all the reasons above! The great thing is that affordable art is always available, especially from emerging artists. There are several resources available online that specialize in selling original art (http://www.paintersshowcase.com for example) where you can search for art by price. You can also visit your local galleries or craft fairs and make a memorable experience of purchasing your gift of art.