Thursday, April 8, 2021
?As I recently stated in one of my blogs titled
Arting,
there is a story behind each piece of art—a story you can learn or a story you can make up. The beauty of art has always appealed to me, but the story behind the artwork itself inspires me just as much. As a writer and an art collector, I fall in love with the provenance story of each piece—whether real or imagined.
Despite the excitement that comes with auctioning off part of my art collection, I have a hard time letting my art pieces go. I often don’t know the entire history of my artwork, and certainly don’t know what will happen to it once it’s no longer mine.
Marc Chagall, (1887-1985), Blue Bouquet
I spend time and money to hire a certified appraiser to learn about a piece of art. While it is easy to get the fair market value from the appraiser, it is often harder to get enough details about the item’s provenance or artist. Situations like these can be frustrating. This is when I let the author in me take over and replace my frustration with creativity… I dive right into a fictional world—almost as if I’m reading a book. I imagine stories about the artists, the situations and settings in which the artwork was created, and the subjects themselves. I envision an eighteenth-century artist toiling in a darkened Florentine room to create the artwork that currently hangs on my wall.
From my first foray into the art world, I have learned that people love different things about art. Many are simply engaged by its beauty, others are interested in its provenance or, the story of the artist who created it, while others still admire its history. Buyers of art differ. Some ask questions about the piece, such as where I got it or its background, while others do not. And once a buyer purchases it, I’m left wondering what is next for the item. Where will it end up? Will it reach the hands of a private collector like me, someone who will give careful thought to where it should be displayed and provide an ideal environment of temperature and humidity, and keep it away from direct light? Or will it end up in the hands of an art dealer who will keep it until he can make a significant profit?
Live Auctioneers, April 10, 12:00 pm EDT
?But since I don’t ask buyers these types of questions, I say bye to frustration and hello to imagination. And oh boy, as a published author, I find these imaginings good exercise for my creative side. That eighteenth-century work of art that I envisioned the artist creating in a dark room might have a future home in a private museum. I envision its new home in an ideal setting. And though recently I haven’t had much time to sit down at the keyboard and write, I appreciate the extra time to dive into a fictional world—it nourishes me in many different ways, and may provide me with enough fuel for a new novel.
Until then, I invite you to peek into my
upcoming auction and enjoy learning from its real-life journey or get inspired and create a fictional journey of your own.
I’m inviting you to sign up and attend my next art auction on April 10, 2021 at 12:00 noon EDT.
Click here to see my
art collection.
Michelle