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[waldron] 02/10/2012 17:21

Rent art from an artothèque
Connexion edition: September 2012
IF YOU have an image of the art world as snooty and over-priced, it could be time for a rethink - it is actually becoming easier and cheaper to enjoy art works in your home.

The change is spearheaded by websites offering alternatives to visiting galleries to buy art. For example, the French site www.artactif.com was offering 38,624 pieces by 1,497 artists, when we visited. They range from paintings and sculptures to mosaics and tapestries, with prices from tens to thousands of euros. Artists pay a set fee to show off their work.

Another site www.arteum.com is more selective in the art it sells. Artistic director Ivan Alvarez said: "We make a selection from artists who send us their portfolios or, in other cases, we invite artists that we like." It also has three Paris shops.

"A lot of people prefer to buy online, but others come and look in person and then buy on the net afterwards - if it's a print, for example, we'll have it in all of the shops, though if it's an original we'll arrange for the client to see it in a shop," said Mr Alvarez. Arteum claims that if you do visit in person, its shops are less off-putting than traditional galleries - and cheaper.

"We want to make them accessible - not to give the impression you must be rich or a connoisseur to visit - the prices are reasonable. A lot of galleries put speculative price tags on their art but the prices are fictitious. We discuss the price with the artist and fix a price that is reasonable. In particular, for prints we are able to sell more copies than an ordinary gallery, so we can negotiate a lower price."

Contemporary art gallery firm www.artgeneration.fr also combines a site and a Paris shop, with around 4,000 works on sale on the site, starting at €60 for original paintings.

As an additional guarantee you have two months to decide whether or not you like a purchase - if not, you can return it and receive a credit to use to buy a different artwork.

The Boucle d'Art gallery (www.boucledart.fr) has an original approach - it offers to create art to order, for example based on your photographs, and using a variety of different media. It says its in-house artist will create "any work of art, that only exists in your head", including ones in the style of artists you admire.

If you would like to be able to hang on your wall an expensive piece of modern art that would otherwise be unaffordable, investing in art at www.myartinvest.com is a possibility. The site allows you to buy shares in a piece of art by a world famous artist, including names like Damien Hirst or Jeff Koons, from one to 100 shares (you own the piece if you have 100 shares).

The shares can later be resold on the site if you wish, and from five shares bought in a work you get the chance to keep it at home for a month.

An inexpensive option for enjoying art at home - if you do not mind not keeping it for too long - is to use an artothèque; like a library for art. These lend works of art to individuals, firms and schools for a moderate sum. For example the Artothèque de Caen charges individuals €10 per work for two months, or for a yearly subscription of €60, you can have two works every two months. The Médiathèque François Mitterrand in Poitiers charges €16 for locals, €33 for others, for an annual subscription allowing two works of art for 60-day periods. Find one near you at: www.tinyurl.com/Artotheques

Art benefits from low capital gains tax - just 5% - which is paid by the dealer for you if you sell to a professional. Art can also be counted among "furnishings" in the case of inheritance (which can be valued at a set 5% of the rest of the estate). It may also be left out of the tally of your property for purposes of French wealth tax.

[hazl] 05/8/2012 13:27

excellent. Will look.
Another interesting link

[cockneyrebel] 02/8/2012 20:50

A bit about where my work is showing here hazl on the BP Collins art blog and the two pictures I have in their exhibition:

[cockneyrebel] 30/7/2012 20:08

yes - :-)

CR

[hazl] 30/7/2012 19:41

lol maybe you'll be worth a fortune!

to somebody....

[cockneyrebel] 30/7/2012 19:34

cheers - sadly the bulk of most artists' rewards come when they are dead :-(

CR

[hazl] 30/7/2012 19:30

Well done on the success so far.

[cockneyrebel] 30/7/2012 17:31

Hi, yes, I like faces with life - I struggle more with young kids and females that have such smooth faces and no real wrinkles for markers from which to work from.

The Rod Stewart one I entered for "Show Me The Monet" on BBC - think I should have put in a scene rather than a portrait as I'd have had a better chance but i wanted to get a portrait on there - got into the edits where they show those that came close but just missed getting on the show in person.

The Exibition in Gerrards Cross is at a suite in a large solicitors (BP Collins) where they have an exhibition of "What Made Britain Great" to tie in with the Olympics. Lots of money over there - had to park between 2 Bentley GT's, made me feel very inferior in my BMW. They found me on my website as it's all Bucks artists in the show.

Best bet for your daughter is to join the local art societies perhaps - they get a lot of calls for entry into exhibitions - never know where these things lead.

Wish her luck - you have to keep at it imo.

CR

[hazl] 30/7/2012 13:34

I like the Rod Stewart portrait best.Think its easier to get a likeness when people have distinctive features;those with more regular features are uncannily difficult to capture. imo

excellent wish you luck with it.

[hazl] 30/7/2012 13:28

again impressive cr;how did you get the opportunity?
daughter still trying to make it as an artist.In this climate! sigh

[hazl] 30/7/2012 11:02

told you heatherwick was good..... post 13 see he was behind the olympic cauldron telegraph article today

www.heatherwick.com

[jon827] 31/3/2012 20:39

king cat rulz!

[joe moon] 31/3/2012 20:38

i got a picture off an artist who owed me for some work i did for her as she had no cash and didnt agree to my other idea for her to pay the bill...ill take a picture and post it here...not as good as king cat though

[jon827] 31/3/2012 19:39

amazing lol, looks like a cat who's shorted the dow :)

[cockneyrebel] 31/3/2012 19:07

very good for the age of 7 Joe Moon.

About 30 years ago I met Jeffrey Archer at his penhouse flat in London onm the Albert Enbankment. The wife was with me - as we left the place with his driver she looked at all the paintings on the wall. 'I suppose his kids did there' she said - the driver laughged his head off - 'no, the cheapest one copst him £30k' he said. I forget the name of the artist, not someone who was well known to m anyway. Not my taste and to be honest I'd far sooner have your kid's paining on my wall than what Archer had been buying.

CR

[joe moon] 31/3/2012 16:06

my son did it wen he was 7...i won't sell

[jon827] 31/3/2012 14:14

lolz, i think that pretty good, i would actually buy that!