Collecting art inspires and enriches our lives, challenging our perspectives and our thinking. Working with an APAA advisor enhances the collecting experience.
Working with an APAA Art Advisor
Working with an APAA art advisor ensures that while you are exploring the vast and complex world of fine art, you will be given advice from an impartial, experienced professional who, as your advocate, works only on your behalf. A good advisor will find the appropriate artwork for you to consider, help you assess the condition and materials, analyze the current market and assist you in negotiating the best possible price. The global art market can be opaque and confusing, and a good advisor will be able to expertly navigate that world for you.
APAA advisors can help develop collections by recommending artists to enhance them, by filling in gaps or identifying new artists that strengthen them. They provide access to many artists whose work is highly sought after and not readily available to the public. They can help focus the collection on a particular aesthetic and assist with de-accessioning those works that are outside that focus. They can bring the collection to the attention of museums and curators who might wish to initiate loans for exhibitions.
A good advisor knows how to care for art and understands museum-quality practices for collection management. Caring for a collection, understanding maintenance, conservation, protection from damage and theft, database inventory systems, insurance, museum loans, shipping, and a myriad of other issues are part of the typical day of a professional advisor. Too often these responsibilities are left to staff who are not equipped to handle their complexity.
How to Choose an Art Advisor
The best art advisors are well respected among their colleagues, as well as galleries, museums and artists for their expertise and their business practices. They are dedicated to ethical conduct.
The APAA knows the questions to ask to ensure that a candidate for membership meets the stringent criteria of experience, knowledge, integrity and sound business practices.
Choose an APAA advisor who specializes in the area in which you are interested, whether Post-War and Contemporary, Impressionist and Modern, 19th Century or Pre-19th Century. Our advisors work with museums, foundations, corporations, public art commissions, private collectors and estates, helping their clients acquire, sell, appraise, exhibit, transport and care for fine art. Our member directory can help you identify an advisor who will meet your needs.
APAA advisors and affiliate members are resources for Individuals, Galleries and Foundations, providing insight into the art market and current issues in the art world. Search the directories or contact info@artadvisors.org with a specific request.
