Owning Art: The Contemporary Art Collector's Handbook

by Louisa Buck, Judith Greer

This sharp, practical look at the contemporary art market declares its irreverence early with a full-page, large print citation of Jenny Holzer's truism, "Money creates taste." Louisa Buck and Judith Greer's analyses of buyers' interests and responsibilities (including a section on how artists see the market and how collectors should treat them) make Owning Art a guidebook of interest to armchair travelers as well as its ostensible target market--it's not just collectors who seek to understand more about dealers, auction houses, art fairs, selection, pricing and conservation. The authors are equally comfortable going over the pitfalls of caring for contemporary media (they quote Agnes Gund on rescuing Christo's "Nine Packed Bottles" from a well-intentioned trip to the recycling bin), and tackling more serious questions like, who makes a good collector? What should you be looking for? Who gets offered the best work? What role do institutions play in the market?

Genres: Art

276 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006

Reviews

[Robert Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is pleasing to look at and hold - textile cover, modern typography, minimalist and clean layout.

The content, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. There is an estimated 1-1.5 pages of original content for every 5 page chapter. If you are big on quotes (many of which take up an entire page spread), you might love this. I found the liberal use of citations quite distracting, but it seemed like the most transparent and ethical way to pad a book that should have been under 90p.

[Patrik Hallberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is essential reading for any collector. The section about how to take care of your collection was very interesting and I learnt a lot, even if it can be hard to fulfill. Also nice to see that I purchased the book for 20 USD (2009) and now they want 900 USD for it :)

[Yun Peng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Mathieu Ravier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer on the buying and selling of contemporary art: comprehensive, clear but never condescending.

[Martin McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a book for the small private collector on a limited budget - much of the advice seems tailored to collectors with significant amounts of disposable income and the time to treat art collecting as almost a second career. The sections on learning about art and tips on buying are helpful for all beginners, but would be improved by advice on the growing market in internet art dealing. Similarly helpful are the sections on displaying, care and storage. But you'll need to read between the lines a bit in all of the sections to glean useful advice if your purchasing is limited to amateur or semi-pro artists rather than Matisse and Picasso.