At LUMAS we strongly believe that you can never have too much art.
You only need to do a quick trawl through Instagram and Pinterest to see the large variety of art styles, colours, framings styles and hanging varieties available. Inspiration is everywhere!
LUMAS Australia Director Eugenia Wilson has created a short guide on how to buy and collect art that you will love for a long time. “LUMAS is the perfect place to buy art for a new or an experienced collector”. “Especially taking into account the breadth of work we have available across all styles and budgets,” she adds.
Here is our guide:
Take your time
With so many different styles of art out there, it’s important to establish what you like and what moves you. Start by visiting art galleries without the intention of buying, to get a sense of your tastes and preferences. We always recommend setting a budget.
You don’t need to spend big
Art collectors often start small. You don’t need a lot of money to buy beautiful artworks. Many artists create small artworks, which often cost significantly less than large-scale ones. Another way to save is to buy limited editions. Many galleries now offer artworks, which otherwise would have been extremely expensive, in limited edition print runs.
At LUMAS we offer exactly that! Museum quality and selection of artworks at much lower prices. We’ve realised that many people prefer to buy beautiful artworks, rather than settle for “run of the mill” posters. This allows customers that could not (and often would not) spend $10,000 or $20,000 on artwork to buy a limited edition for less than $2,000!
Don’t follow trends
The most important thing to begin with is to find art that you love and that represents your tastes, your style and your history. Trends come and go. If you buy an artwork that moves you each time you see it, it won’t date with time and will have the same effect on you many years later.
You will often find posters and prints at various home stores. These were most likely selected to suit the range of furniture and homewares sold at the store. Unless you absolutely love them, we say “Stay clear!”. Buy what moves you, not what the colour or furniture trend says you should.
Choose how to display your art
There is a multitude of ways to display your new artwork. We recommend staying conscious of space. Don’t hang small artworks on large walls. They will get lost on a large wall. Similarly, give large artworks some “breathing space”. The easiest way is to select a large artwork, which can become a statement in a room and will also cover a large space.
You can also have a go at doing a salon-style hanging. This is look is very interesting if you have many smaller artworks and a larger space to fill. You can combine and mix colours, styles and frames. Eugenia Wilson says: “Salon hanging is one of my favourite ways to display art. It allows you to showcase your favourite artworks in an interesting way and really make a statement and express yourself.”
Tip – we recommend measuring the amount of wall space you want to fill and then taping off that section on a clean floor. This will allow you to space everything out the way you want before securing it on the wall.
Hang it
We recommend doing this part with a friend so that you can make sure everything looks even and in the right place. If you are going to attempt salon hanging – start with your anchor piece and work from there. We recommend hanging centre pieces at 165cm mark – as it is considered to be the eye-sight level of most people.
What to do if you fall in love with something you can’t afford?
We’ve all been there. You finally find that perfect artwork, but the price is significantly more than you expected. Firstly, ask if the gallery offers payment plans or lay by options. Many galleries do! Another option to explore is Art Money – an interest free loan to repay your artwork in 10 equal repayments. The gallery needs to participate in the program, but those that do will allow you to take the artwork home on the day upon the payment of 10% deposit (providing you qualify, of course). A pretty impressive initiative that allows many buy artworks they would otherwise need to save for months.
Stay in the loop
Need more resources? Follow us on Instagram at @lumas_australia to discover all that LUMAS has to offer or for daily contemporary art inspiration.
Website: https://au.lumas.com
Contact: hello@lumas.com.au
Address: 597 Church St, Richmond , 3121, VIC
Phone: (03) 9421 3525
