How to start your art collection

In mainstream circles, curating a personal art collection has long been regarded as a luxury pursuit. Unlike discovering music at a concert or browsing new titles at the bookshop, art galleries can intimidate first-time buyers looking to view works in-person. Tze Chun set out to change that. She founded Uprise Art in 2011, with a mission of spotlighting original work by up-and-coming artists – at all sorts of price points – via an online gallery that greets buyers with transparency at the virtual front door. She calls it art collecting, simplified. Here, Chun lays out some simple guidelines for starting a collection of your own:

‘People are often surprised by what they’re interested in. One of the things that I try to have our art advisors convey to collectors is that they don’t necessarily need to come in with a list of what they’re looking for. When people look at art, they seem to think they need to have some sort of reaction but truthfully, you don’t need to rate every piece that you see. Instead, find the common thread between the things that you’re drawn to — maybe it’s work that is abstract and open-ended, or maybe you stand in front of geometric pieces for a long time and you breeze past photography. When you have a strong reaction to something, take note, and figure out why you’re reacting.’

‘The art world defines art collectors one way – with a capital "C" – but I like to think that anyone who is supporting artists and engaging with artworks is an art collector. Some people feel like they don’t have the tools or resources to understand what the art means. If you have Instagram, you are a curator. Ten years ago, the average person did not know what they liked visually. But now, everyone is curating. It’s more of a mentality. If you are interested in being a part of the art ecosystem and learning about the work you are purchasing, I consider that collecting work.’