Aboriginal Art Sale Shopping: What First-Time Buyers Should Prioritize
It's overwhelming to enter an Aboriginal art gallery when they're on sale. Sure, you have all of this authentic Indigenous art for a discounted price, but what does that really mean? Is the sale a good sale, or does it just mean that an abysmal piece is less of an investment?
First-time buyers are especially susceptible to the sale trap of purchasing. Many make the same mistakes: Choosing art based on the most significant discount, selecting art that doesn't resonate with their actual space, and not doing their due diligence with paperwork because they're worried another buyer will swoop in and snag it first.
Sales are irresistible and create pressure, but the pressure makes people skip steps that shouldn't be omitted. This is what matters when shopping Aboriginal art sales as a first-timer.
Buying an Artist's Reputable Work is Better Than Buying a Cheap Work
Discounts are enticing, but a 40% discount is still a mediocre piece at 40% off. The first step when entering an Aboriginal art sale gallery isn't the price of sale; it's the artist and their reputable standing within the community and art world.
Many established Aboriginal artists boast exhibition histories with work in public collections or cultural institutions. This information should be provided to buyers through the gallery. Established galleries also have bios readily available to patrons. Many established galleries can boast awards or familial connections through multi-generational careers.
The problem with sales is that they feature work from fledgling artists just as much as they do household names. There's nothing wrong with a fledgling artist, their work may appeal to you and may also be fairly inexpensive, but you have to know which one you're buying. A full-price piece from a fledgling artist could easily be less than an on-sale piece from an established artist.
Moreover, check for similar gallery representation. The more representation, the better. Check the internet for any articles or catalogue entries; even google searches can determine if an artist showed internationally or has acclaim through Indigenous centers.
Sales Can Skimp on Documentation and They Shouldn't
Sometimes the pressure of a sale means a gallery wants to hurry up and process sales. Don't let them rush you into skipping documentation.
Every Aboriginal art sale needs accompanied documentation with every piece purchased. You should have a certificate of authenticity with the name of the artist, artwork title, dimensions, medium, and hopefully, a picture of the work itself. The better certificates include information on the artist's community and language group.
Many galleries offer up reasons for why an artist works or a piece of art came to be; this is not just another filler, this is part of what you're purchasing. Aboriginal art comes with cultural influence over the actual meaning of creation, and learning more about symbolism or Dreamtime elements gives even greater reason to own such a piece.
Provenance documentation shows where the art has been acquired; for works marked on sale, it could include where the piece was made (usually at certain art centers), when the gallery acquired it (purchasing from Aboriginal-sponsored centers), and if the piece has been previously shown. Quality controls at Aboriginal art centers ensure another level of authenticity.
If you're uncomfortable with the documentation, ask. Good galleries will welcome such questions and be forthcoming; if they're reluctant, sale or no sale, beware.
Purchase Your Art as It Fits in Your Space
Sales encourage people to buy indiscriminately; you see a large canvas or work at a low price point, and suddenly you think you'll figure out where it fits in down the line.
Before entering an Aboriginal art sale gallery, measure your walls. Know what spaces could accommodate art; many Aboriginal artworks come as small boards up to giant canvases, and the size matters, for aesthetic appeal first and foremost, but it could be detrimental if you buy without knowing your space beforehand.
Color considerations also matter. Many Aboriginal artworks use earth tones, ochres, reds, browns, blacks, but others incorporate vibrant blues, greens, or yellows. Some styles feature dense, detailed dot work while others use bold, graphic designs. When browsing options, visitors often take a look at their sale gallery to see the range of styles currently discounted and mentally picture pieces in their intended spaces.
Furthermore, lighting determines how a piece will be seen, no one wants to hang something up only for it to be better looked at in artificial light versus natural light, so if possible, ask the gallery if they can photograph it in different lighting or at least find multiple light spots within their own walls of the gallery.
Don't purchase artwork that requires framing immediately unless you've allocated that part of your budget. Custom framing can cost hundreds of dollars for larger pieces; many Aboriginal art canvases are pre-stretched while many papered pieces require framing. Factor that cost into your sales budget beforehand.
Know Regional Styles Beforehand to Connect
There's regional appeal among different types of Aboriginal art across Australia: Central Desert art from Papunya tends to utilize dot painting techniques or used traditional iconography; Kimberley art boasts Wandjina figures that possess large eyes and no mouths; Arnhem Land creates extensive bark paintings with detailed cross-hatching called rarrk.
Knowing regional differences will help acclimate first-time buyers toward appreciation. Some buyers instantly connect with intricate dot work, the visual meditative quality is relaxing. Others prefer bolder graphics utilized in contemporary Aboriginal worlds.
Neither is wrong; it's what appeals personally. But knowing geographical points of interest makes owning more poignant since it's part of a community, or story, rather than just another decorative object that could be found anywhere for any price at any time.
Especially since sales are great ways to dive deeper at more affordably-accessed pieces; this is one of the positive parts of gallery sales for first-time buyers, they can get lower priced works from various regions and styles until they determine which resonates best for them.
Consider Long-Term Value
Not everyone intends to own Aboriginal art for investment purposes, but even if it's not one's first consideration, it's worthwhile seeing which factors could enhance appreciation down the line.
The initial factor is age; what's the artist's age? What's their trajectory? Mid-career persons sometimes boast greater value options than established or fledgling artists because their works have established quality but have not yet pushed price.
However, value options are disfavored over artwork condition, which matters if anything else relative to resale value appeal. Take photos of sale items taken from every angle to see if there's damage over time; sometimes sale items come with damage but that's fine if it's merely for personal appreciation (less resale potential), but no one appreciates buying hard work someone's made only to see it's been through too much wear-and-tear.
Rarity factors are also crucial. Smaller editions look different than those for broader appeal; sometimes limited numbers are created per center for aesthetic value appeal over time (but this is all good and well before knowledgeable buyers) instead of generic findings available through artwork centers everywhere.
That said, buying solely for investment value can be tenuous. The Aboriginal art market has a certain flow, and not all work appreciates the same way. Buy what you'd like to live with, and any additional appreciation is merely a bonus down the road.
The Bottom Line
Sales create time pressure, and before buying something, ask yourself if you'd want it at full price because if it doesn't excite you at full price and you're merely enticed because it's discounted, rethink it. Investment potential aside, good art should be something you're proud to possess no matter what you've paid for it.
Purchasing Aboriginal art for newcomers through sales is an excellent way into collecting; this approach to methodical decision-making is consistent with any purchase priced more attractively, find quality worth celebrating first instead of chasing after a sale without substance behind it.
