Things to consider when buying art

1.  What is your budget?

2.  Where is the work going?

3.  What size of work and what media?

4.  Emerging artist or more established?

5.  How old is the artist?

6.  Where did they study?

7.  Were these solo or group shows?

8.  Are they represented?  Which gallery?

9.  Have they been included in an exhibition in a public gallery or museum or biennial?

10.  Where?  Who curated them?

11.  Are there any reviews or critical writing about their work?  What are they saying?

12.  Are they in any public or corporate collections in the UK or internationally?

13.  Have I seen enough of the artist’s work to get a feel for their practice?

14.  How well are the ideas behind the work communicated by the work?

15.  Does the work express these ideas in a way that can only be communicated through a visual form?  How economic is this expression.  Are these ideas interesting?  Do they feel relevant to you?

16.  If there are formal concerns – shapes, materials, colours, surfaces, composition etc. – how does these relate to the ideas behind the work and how effective has the artist been in their use or technique?