There are certain rigorous steps collectors new to any field should exercise before making their first purchases. This is especially true for collectors interested in Outsider Art, Art Brut and Self-Taught Art. Art Brut and Outsider Art are rooted in the European sensibility of artists without formal art training living outside of the social margins, and whose mental condition (often illnesses) drives them to make art. The American category of Self-Taught Art is more egalitarian and includes all artists who create without formal art education, regardless of their emotional stability. As an appraiser, dealer and collector of this most extraordinary material, here are my thoughts for the potential new collector to this arena.
Before buying Outsider Art, first, do your homework. Find books and magazines about your new area of interest and read them thoroughly. Go to relevant museum exhibitions and galleries and look at examples of the art first hand. Take advantage of the Internet to further your education. Visit auction houses and compare the work available for sale with what you have seen in books, museums and galleries. Seek out other collectors and see their collections. Ask them questions. Get to know as many relevant dealers as you can. Almost all dealers welcome potential new collectors and they should be willing to answer your questions and offer suggestions to help you begin collecting.
While researching Outsider/Self-Taught Art, collectors will discover that although it is a fairly young field, it does have its old masters and stars. A partial list of these artists include: William Edmonson, Bill Traylor, Martin Ramirez, William Hawkins, Joseph Yoakum, Minnie Evans and Sister Gertrude Morgan. These artists have long exhibition histories, are included in major public and private collections, and are published in many books and catalogues. William Edmonson’s major sculptures cost a minimum of $150,000, while a Joseph Yoakum drawing is still priced under $10,000. The European artists of this caliber include (another partial list) Adolph Wölfli, Aloïse, Carlo and Anna Zemánková. A sizeable Wölfli drawing might cost $100,000, but a sizeable drawing by Anna Zemánková will cost $10,000.
If this grouping of artists is out of your price range, you still have the opportunity to be a collector of art by established artists who are just getting the attention and respect they deserve. Such artists include Frank Jones, Jon Serl, Justin McCarthy, and Herbert Singleton. Paintings and sculptures in this category are priced between $1,500 and $20,000.
Or you can boldly collect new and emerging artists, whose prices are still very reasonable, including Chris Hipkiss, Kevin Sampson, Keith Goodhart and Raymond Matterson. The price range of their artwork will range from $600 to $10,000.
Whatever price range is most suitable for your budget, make sure you buy the best you can afford. Right now there is a plethora of low quality, very inexpensive art, and it may be a temptation to jump-start your collection with a quantity of cheap material. Resist the temptation!
Once you have educated yourself and you begin making purchases, be sure you are buying what you like rather than buying for investment--buying because an artist is considered “hot.” If the work of an artist does not appeal to you, don’t buy it. Maybe you have an enthusiasm for an artist that some other collectors do not share. If the work moves you and it is within your budget, add it to your collection. There is no guarantee that everything you purchase, regardless of the reputation of the artist or the seller, will go up in value or even hold its price. But if you only surround yourself with what you love, you will never regret your choices.
Because this is a fairly young field for collecting, there are only a few caveats. All of the artists under the Art Brut/Outsider/Self-Taught umbrella share one similarity; they all have extraordinary biographies, which usually precede the introduction to the artwork. Sometimes these moving, provocative and downright unbelievable stories, so foreign to our own, are presented as a selling tool. Make sure you are committed to the art you are seeing, not just to the story you are hearing. Increasingly, reputable dealers are explaining the merits of the work first and putting the biography of the artist into the same perspective, as would a dealer of contemporary art.
Once you have begun collecting, properly display it. This is not about buying a painting to match a couch. This is about enjoying and preserving your collection. Put sculptures on pedestals, wall wedges or shelves. Have paintings and drawings archivally presented. It is not only the self-taught artist that will use whatever is at hand to make art. Sometimes it is the strangeness of the materials being used that are part of the appeal, and other times there may be no way of knowing whether the paper, canvas or board our piece is made from or painted on would satisfy a conservator’s standards. If your newly acquired painting or drawing is made from fugitive materials, help give it its longest possible life with archival framing and UV glass.
Finally, have your collection appraised by a knowledgeable appraiser and have it insured. Nothing can replace a piece of art that is destroyed except perhaps another piece of art. Keeping a current appraisal of your collection and your insurance up to date will help provide a fair and reasonable settlement in the event of damage or loss.
Part of the excitement of collecting is an enthusiastic and thorough approach to learning. Books and magazines are helpful, but nothing can beat looking at art first hand, in museums, galleries, auction houses and private collections. Take the time to meet and speak with the people who contribute to the field. As an informed collector, you should always listen to your own aesthetic voice. Buying work that appeals to you should give you a lifetime of pleasure, regardless of your budget.
