The Best Books for Art Collectors

If you’re an art collector or aspiring to be one, you may not know where to start when it comes to purchasing your first piece. Therefore, you might be interested in learning a bit more about this field to gain the familiarity you need to make the best creative decisions. This is where specialised guides written by experienced art collectors may come in handy.

Today’s article covers some of the best books art collectors can buy to enhance their knowledge and guide their future purchasing choices. After all, if you’re going to build an art collection, you should learn to do it in style. Let’s get right to it!

 

The Art of Buying Art: How to evaluate and buy art like a professional collector

Written by Alan Bamberger, The Art of Buying Art is sure to help you enhance your collector skills, guiding readers on how to research art, evaluate masterpiece costs, and essentially create a high-quality art collection. If you dream of becoming a professional art collector, this book could be perfect for you!

After all, Bamberger even discusses how individuals can detect fake reproductions from original pieces, which is handy for those wanting to avoid being scammed by the sale of counterfeit art. 


The House of Fragile Things: Jewish Art Collectors and the Fall of France

If you are fascinated by how art and history intertwine, you may be interested in this book. Written by James McAuley, this recent publication takes a unique approach to the subject of art collecting by focusing on its political aspects. It delves deep into the history of the Third Reich and how the Nazi regime modified individuals’ views of Jewish communities via works of art.

With an expert education in French history, McAuley considers how the Nazis enhanced their authority during this period through the use and control of art.

The Art of Buying Art: An Insider’s Guide to Collecting Contemporary Art

If contemporary art is your thing, you’ll love Paige West’s composition on how you should go about buying these types of masterpieces. As a gallery owner and contemporary art expert, this author offers insight into buying advice and decides to move boldly away from the common belief that this type of art is not unique or tasteful when compared to traditional paintworks. This content reveals how one can truly appreciate the work of contemporary artists and what to look out for when selecting a piece for a collection.

A Poor Collector’s Guide to Buying Great Art

This guide, composed by Erling Kagge, provides readers with helpful information on how to purchase fantastic pieces for those who don’t know where to go and how to do it. Thus, this book covers how the buying process works and what art collectors must learn to make the right investments in art.

Kagge is a professional art collector who had to learn this process, making his expertise incredibly fitting and something which readers can learn from.

 

The Art Collector’s Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Acquiring and Owning Art

Mary Rozell’s work in The Art Collector’s Handbook is a perfect piece for both beginner and advanced art collectors, along with individuals wanting to work towards a promising career in our modern art industry. This content draws on contemporary art law, market, and collecting practices, along with the author’s own personal experience as a professional art collector and art lawyer.

Therefore, this book also highlights some of the issues that crop up when it comes to building an art collection and delves into factors like insurance, storage, security, financing, and conservation of artwork. This guide is celebrated as essential for those wanting to understand the business surrounding art collecting.

 

Conclusion

So, there you have it. Hopefully, this content has revealed a few top books that have captured your interest in learning more about collecting art. Whether you have been an experienced art buyer for years or are just starting out in the field and want to learn a few valuable tips, the guides listed above intend to inform individuals about how to build better collections. They are sure to assist your knowledge and stop you from making the poor investment decisions you’ll want to avoid desperately. Happy art collecting, everyone!

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