Journal
What an Art Advisor Actually Does, and When You Need One
An art advisor is not a decorator and not a dealer. What the work involves, who it is for, and when most collectors wish they had called one.
Read more
How to Catalog a Collection: What to Record for Every Piece
A collection without records is a collection of stories. Here is exactly what to write down for each piece, and why the order you do it in matters.
Read more
Why Collections Lose Value: Five Mistakes Buyers Make Alone
Most collections are not worth what their owners think. The reasons are predictable, and almost all of them are avoidable at the moment of purchase.
Read more
Why I Built REGISTR
An eight-and-a-half-million-dollar Picasso, its provenance in a phone note. The moment that convinced me collection records needed a better home, and what I built instead.
Read more
Art Advisory in Miami: What Has Changed, and What to Know
Miami has become one of the most interesting places in the country to collect, and one of the easiest to collect badly. What the relocation wave changed, and three pieces of advice specific to collecting here.
Read more
How to Sell a Piece From Your Collection Discreetly
Selling well is harder than buying well. The reasons people sell, the three routes that actually work, the two mistakes that cost sellers the most, and how a private sale is handled from start to finish.
Read more
Collecting Design, Objects, Books and Editions: The Same Rules Apply
A collection is everything you chose to live with, not just what hangs on the wall. Why furniture, lighting, art toys and books deserve the same research and records as paintings, and the one mistake that costs object collectors the most.
Read more
What a Collection Manager Actually Does
Every collector needs their collection documented, whether it is ten pieces or three hundred. What the work involves, who ends up needing it, and what you get back at the end.
Read more
Art Collecting and Mental Health
Living with art you chose does something for you that nothing else in a home does. What collectors notice, what the research suggests, and why it is a reason to buy well.
Read more
3 Things to Keep in Mind for Your First Fine Art Purchase
A first serious purchase sets the tone for everything that follows. Three things to settle before you buy: what you actually like, whether the work is what it claims to be, and what it will really cost.
Read more
5 Tips for Starting an Art Collection on a Budget
You do not need a large budget to start collecting well. Where the value is at the lower end of the market, who to buy from, and how to pay less than the asking price.
Read more
From Gallery to Home: Choosing Art That Fits Your Home
Good art and a good room should work together without either one giving way. How to choose pieces that suit the house you actually live in, without buying for the sofa.
Read more
Tips and Tricks: How to Spot Authenticity Problems From Home
Only a qualified expert can authenticate a work of art. But there is a lot you can check yourself before you spend money or call one, and the red flags are easier to see than you might think.
Read more
The Art of Collecting: Tips and Strategies for Building a Collection
A collection is more than a set of purchases. How to set a budget and a direction, do the research, judge provenance and condition, and build the relationships that bring the best pieces to you.
Read more
The Art of Preservation: Caring for Your Artwork
Dust, light, humidity and careless handling do more damage to collections than anything else. Five habits that keep a work in the condition you bought it in.
Read more
3 Mistakes All New Art Collectors Make
Buying a first serious piece of art is intimidating, and most of the expensive mistakes come down to the same three things. Here is what they are and how to avoid them.
Read more
Should You Buy Art Online?
The art market came late to the internet and is still cautious about it. The real risks of buying online, the real advantages, and how to get the second without the first.
Read more
Hanging Art in Your Home Like a Professional
Choosing the piece is half the job. Where it goes, how it is framed and how high it hangs decide whether it actually looks good in the room. Three rules that installers follow.
Read more
The Do's and Don'ts of Buying Art Online in 2020
More art is bought online every year, and most of the expensive mistakes are avoidable. What to check, what to ignore, and the one rule that matters most.
Read more
Is the Art in Your Office Slowing Your Team Down?
Art in a workspace either helps people focus or quietly gets in the way. A guide to what each color tends to do in an office, and how to choose accordingly.
Read more