Definition
Collecting can be defined simply as the act of assembling a group of objects. Motives for collecting can range from passionate involvement with particular objects to complete disinterest. At one end of the scale are those who collect out of a genuine love of works of art; at the other are those who are motivated by a wish for status or by greed and the desire for financial gain. In the 20th century some major collections have been built out of a wish to avoid paying tax by using the vagaries of the fiscal system and tax concessions granted to purchasers of works of art. Fashion and taste play significant roles in the formation of collections. In every period there are certain types of objects, styles or artists who are at the forefront of fashions in collecting and whose work will command the greatest attention and the highest prices.
History of Collecting
- The Rare Art Traditions: the History of Art collecting and Its Linked Phenomena Wherever These Have Appeared byNew York: Harper & Row, c1982. Examines the relationship between art collecting, art history, and the art market in first century China, classical Greece, Renaissance Italy, modern Japan, and the Middle East.
A Musem of One's Own: Private Collecting, Public Gift by Pittsburgh: Periscope Pub.; New York: Distributed by Prestel Pub., c2009. The story of 19th century Americans who collected masterpieces with the intention of creating public museums.
Contemporary Collecting
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.Looks at the economics and the marketing strategies that enable the modern art market to generate such astronomical prices.
Great Collectors of Our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945 by London: Scala, 2007. Examines collectors of our time in Europe, North America and the Far East, and follows their tastes - whether in the Old Masters or the avant-garde - from the 20th century into the 21st.
Collecting Contemporary Art by Köln: Taschen, c2010. Information about the contemporary art market.
The Value of Art: Money, Power, Beauty by Munich: Prestel, c2012. Findlay’s distillation of a lifetime’s experience makes this insider’s guide indispensable for all who love art, collectors and "amateurs."
Collection Management
Art Collector's Handbook: A Guide to Collection Management and Care by Burlington : Lund Humphries in association with Sotheby’s Institute of Art, 2014. Covers various subtopics under the headings of collection building, maintenance, and deaccessioning.
Caring for Your Art: A Guide for Artists, Collectors, Galleries, and Art Institutions by New York: Allworth Press, c2001. Information on storing, handling, photographing, insuring, securing, and record keeping for art.
