This is the fourth consecutive year Melville and Fox have given the talk at ArtWeek, with the audience growing each time. The talks are especially appealing to those who may be thinking about starting art collecting groups or individuals keen to begin buying good art. Here, Melville offers a few insights into what they'll be discussing today.
Listen to your heart
The more you look at art, the more discerning you become and the more you realise what you like. The point is: you have to buy the thing you love. Some people order a work made to size or colour and there's a market for that, too. People want nice things on their wall and you can't be a snob but art is about how it makes you feel. If you see something that makes you feel great, then damn well buy it because that's what it's for.
There are two reactions when you look at some art work. You might go, "Wow! and then "huh?", and it's gone. But the ones where you go "huh?" then wow!", they are the slow-burns as they grow on you. They are the ones to buy. A work that reveals itself immediately runs out and I have bought works that run out. I've had my enjoyment from them, but then it's time to move on.
There are two ends of painting: there is conceptual art and the other end is the more decorative work. Some work is much more intellectually challenging that gets the brain working while some people want something beautiful. Somewhere in the middle is the best place to be.
Find a focus
I have heard of people who collect New Zealand art with animals or birds in them. I've also heard of a very well-known collector who said that if she had her time again, she would buy photography.
Some collectors want to tick off the list. They go through the auction catalogue, for instance, and they say they will get one of those and one of those and they'll say, "We've got our collection," which is fine if that makes you happy. But the more you look, the more you know about something, and the more interesting it becomes.
Don't be scared of galleries
People go into galleries but if they are treated rudely or snootily it is terrifying. There are galleries in this town I don't like going to. So what we want to do is demystify some of it, take away some of the elitism and say, "This is what it is really about and you can do it." If some gallery people are not interested in that, then don't crush it for the rest of us because we love it.
Names don't matter
Look with your eyes, not with your ears. Don't buy names. Look for the thing that you really connect with. You hear about artists' names all over the place but the most fashionable art isn't always the best. Having a gallery, it's like being a kid in a candy store but if something haunts me and someone is about to buy it, I get a bit tense. But the focus is on the artist and the client and you want that work to go out into the world.
You can love sport and art
Occasionally you hear about a former sports star who has become an art collector. Isn't it weird when we think that's funny? Why can't you be interested in sport and art? Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? It is unusual in this country that a sportsman is also interested in art but maybe we can encourage more people. The sports culture in this country is huge - it's a shame if it's at the expense of the arts.
Pay it off
You can put money down and pay off an art work. You only realise that when you have been in galleries a bit. You might think, "I haven't got $10,000 to buy a painting" but you can pay it off. There's this new company called myart.co.nz, which is interest-free. It is almost philanthropic. They want people to engage with art and you keep the art straight away.
Beware of auctions
At auctions you might buy work by an artist who is represented by a dealer gallery but if you go to the gallery you'll have 10 things to pick from and much better examples. If you know what you are doing you can do well, but auctions are not for beginners. If you are wanting to start an art collection, to go to an auction to buy the art is bad practice. You won't get the best examples and you won't learn anything. The work is a product, which is anathema to us.
Then there are the three Ds. The reasons things are at auctions is often because of death, divorce or debt. There are all sorts of pressures that go with auctions, let alone the competition. If you are bidding against one other maniac you will overpay - it's too dangerous.
