The Art of Buying Art: How to evaluate and buy art like a professional collector

by Alan S. Bamberger

'The very best book on the subject ever published'
Bernard Ewell, Personal Property Journal (the trade publication of the American Society of Appraisers)


The art world can appear impenetrable to the beginner. This classic book, in print since 1990, is an invaluable primer that will help anyone to penetrate the thickets of inscrutable 'insider info' and esoteric jargon.


Updated for today's art market, including online buying, The Art of Buying Art is without a doubt the most accessible book on how to research, evaluate, price and buy artworks - for anyone who wants to buy art. No previous knowledgeof art or the art business is necessary. Topics

· how to research and evaluate art prices like the professionals
· how to build a quality collection
· how to spot fakes and forgeries
· how to buy art at auctions and directly from artists
· how to negotiate prices
· how to tell the difference between an original and a reproduction

Bamberger provides the information needed to transform anyone into an informed art consumer, to protect collectors from bad buys and to help them locate the best art at the correct prices.

Genres: Art, Art History

448 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2019

Reviews

[Jordan B Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful resource.

[Mike Zickar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough and very competent book. This would be an excellent choice for someone interested in starting to collect art. My one complaint is that the author works hard to conceal the names of artists and dealers when telling stories and so the book reads a little flat at times. You barely even know what kind of art the author personally collects. That aside, the book is thorough, up-to-date, and has good info in it.

[Ramojus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half of the book is really useful and other half is about obvious. Might be valuable for art market absolute begginers.

[Phan Minh · Rating 3 out of 5]

So so

[Sofia Fresia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non fatico a credere che questo sia il manuale sul collezionismo d’arte più esaustivo che esista al momento. È indubbiamente un testo di grande utilità e completezza, non solo per il collezionista neofita ma anche per chi il mondo dell’arte lo conosce già o lo frequenta in un ruolo diverso da quello del collezionista. Rivolgendosi al pubblico con uno stile semplice e diretto, aiuta a trovare la quadra in un mondo complesso ed elitario di cui è difficile capire i meccanismi interni: cosa determina il prezzo di un’opera, come funzionano le compravendite di arte e in quali modalità avvengono, quali sono i fattori da considerare se si vuole costruire una collezione di pregio, perché scegliere un’opera piuttosto che un’altra e via dicendo. Purtroppo è disponibile soltanto in inglese, e questo implica che la lettura non sia agevolissima perché dato l’argomento si utilizzano spesso termini specifici legati all’ambito artistico, creativo e commerciale. Infine, forse l’unica nota che mi sento di fare, andrebbero aggiornati molti degli elenchi che costituiscono le appendici, soprattutto quelli relativi all’universo del web.

[Eliana Aristizabal · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Art of Buying Art" de Alan Bamberger es un libro lleno de consejos para quienes quieren comenzar a coleccionar arte pero no saben por dónde empezar. Alan, un consultor de arte, ofrece una guía accesible para entender los términos técnicos y el mercado del arte, algo que aún me resulta complicado después de seis años en este mundo.

Sin embargo, tengo que decir que su opinión sobre las galerías y los dealers me parece un poco extrema. No creo que todas las galerías estén ahí solo para engañarte, y realmente pienso que las ferias de arte son una de las mejores maneras de aprender, disfrutar y comprar arte. ¡Es un libro útil, pero hay matices que vale la pena considerar!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great beginner level overview of how to buy fine art. It should more accurately be titled how to *collect* art, though, because the perspective is really from someone who wants you to fall in love with art and create a cohesive, indefinitely large collection. If you just want to buy a few pieces as interior decoration for your house and be done with it, this is still a valuable resourc to make sure you aren't offending anyone or getting ripped off, but take some of the advice with a grain of salt if you aren't planning to be a long term collector.

[Octavio Galvis Villegas · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re an enthusiastic beginner in the art world, this book is a great starting point in your process of becoming a well informed art buyer. You won’t magically become an expert by the the time you get to its last page. What you will have is a solid base you can use in your first visits to galleries and fairs. As the author says, the real deal begins when we get out there.