So you think you’re an art collector? But are you an obsessive and compulsive one?
The act of collecting has been described as a drug, a disease, an addiction; an uncontrollable desire to acquire art. An art collection starts innocently with a painting or a print or drawing. However, during your art treasure hunting, fever strikes and purchases accelerate and soon enough you are left with 50 to 100 odd art pieces in your home, stacked up on the floor, as you no longer have any wall space left. While many outsiders of the art world call it an obsessive compulsive disorder, art collectors define it as passion. Yet, when your impulsive buys lead you to acquire large sculptures that simply cannot fit into your house, that passion may have turned into a slight problem.
In addition, do you feel depressed when not in contact with art? Do you get chills down your spine when you purchase art or even hang it on your wall? Do you secretly research about art in the middle of night to view auctions results? If you believe you carry any of these symptoms, Larry says you may be obsessed.
To complete your full diagnostic, read our list of signs that we believe determine you have contracted the collecting madness.
1- You start converting your windows into walls to hang more artworks.
2- You have appeared to stop decorating your walls and instead take down older works to replace them with new ones.
3- You have multiple storage spaces.
4- When buying a painting you also buy the oil study and the drawing.
5- You stay up late at night to communicate with a gallerist in a different time zone to get information about artists.
6- You have attended more art fairs than your kids’ recitals.
7- You decide to get a second house to hang more works.
8- When visiting a new house, you only check whether there is enough wall space. The pool and backyard are no priority to you.
9- You have your art dealer on speed dial.
10- You have the compelling need to research on Larry’s List to double-check whether you are still ahead of your competitors.
Feature image: melauspartners.com
Claire Bouchara
