THE MEANING OF COLLECTING.

Fernando Fader: Wet weather. Oil on canvas. Measurements: 89 x 110 cm.

Curatella Manes: Accordionist. Bronze, numbered. Measurements: 42 x 16 cm.

Dish manufactured by the Company of the Indies. Glazed porcelain. Century XVIII.

Sonia Decker


Director of CONSULTART / dgb, a consulting firm with more than thirty years of experience in the local art market.


She has a degree in Advertising (USAL).


She was a Judicial Expert in Art, and Professor of "Art Market" at the Universities of Salvador and the Argentine Social Museum.


She was a member of the founding group of the Museo de Arte Tigre, being in charge of acquiring the works from its permanent collection.


Painter artist, she has made the last individual exhibitions of her in the VYP, Arroyo and Librería Menéndez galleries.

By Sonia Decker


Collecting art can be a passion, a vocation or something that gives a very special meaning to the life of those who enter this fantastic world.

 

Collecting has mutated in a thousand different ways from its origins to the present; From an activity that was developed almost alone, it has been transformed over time into multiple options with derivations of various kinds.

 

In the 19th and 20th centuries, collecting art as we currently conceive it had a meaning of transcendence and social positioning. The buyers could be from patrons to businessmen, industrialists or people linked to culture.

 

The personal motivation that drove them to treasure works of art could be limited to the formation of an important set of relevant pieces, or to the search for a very specific segment within the universe that appeared in front of them.

 

Over time and with the emergence of media power, collectors gradually became opinion makers and market leaders. The immediate significance that large investments in art have had towards the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of this century have never been so significant.

 

If we limit these concepts to the activity of our consultancy and over thirty years, we can recall numerous examples of collectors who, with very dissimilar attitudes, were discovering very little by little the satisfaction of starting or increasing a collection.

 

Psychology invades this complex world that concerns us. The collector's profile is usually very diverse. There are obsessive, meticulous, studious, creative or investigative. Women occupy a more than interesting space in this fertile and risky terrain. On several occasions, the investment did not take place, due to the exclusive decision of a strong female will.

 

In all cases where we established a cordial and intense treatment with our customers, we were able to enjoy together with them, with each of the purchases we made together. Each auction continues to be a new emotion and a challenge where our experience, our ability to provide good advice and that quota of adventure that we have shared with them for many years are put to the test.



Examples that speak ...


We had the pleasure of putting together a great collection from the beginning, where there was already a minimal family legacy and great knowledge. It was necessary to gradually acquire important works, and the selection was really pleasant. I am referring to a couple who had the deference to always listen to our advice, and who today have an excellent collection of painting and sculpture where the great masters of Argentine art are represented. Everything is hung on its walls where they happily coexist with each of these beautiful pieces.

 

Something similar happened with the support provided in the creation of a very important collection of Argentine artists from almost all periods. It was a formidable selection job that lasted several years, where it was evaluated down to the smallest detail. This great set of works of absolute quality coexists with that of first-class Latin American artists, all exhibited in real prestigious walls, which invite you to a museum-quality tour.

 

An important company dedicated and still dedicates a lot of time and enthusiasm to the purchase of purely figurative art, which contains Argentine landscape themes from all the regions of our country. They have decided to bet on some artists that are now almost disappeared, putting them in value and investigating each one in particular. Not only have they invested in painting, but they also held exhibitions open to the public that lasted only one night, where they accompanied each show with a talk and a guided tour of the room. They also published an excellent book on the works in their collection.

 

A large part of our clients bought paint to decorate their houses. We always had as a primary purpose that they make good investments, only acquiring what they like, but looking for these pieces to have the opportunity to achieve a good value at the time of their eventual sale. This last point is perhaps the most complex for the spirit that is immersed in the soul of a collector. The desire to have the piece prompts him to pay for it perhaps more than it is worth, and in that regard it is prudent to know how to listen to good advice in advance. The ups and downs of the Argentine market are a permanent factor of uncertainty for any buyer.

 

Nothing is more pleasant than being able to enjoy the moment of advising the children of our clients, who have already become new collectors. These young people do not only choose contemporary painting, but on several occasions they invested in a great painting or sculpture master combining very different aesthetics. We have seen how by betting on the very specific works of a single artist, they managed to significantly raise the prices of a particular technique or subject, consolidating them in the market and over time.

 

Collaborating in the formation of the collection of the Museo de Arte Tigre was a great experience and a huge challenge. It was the first and only time that a museum had acquired all its works at public auction. And although there were subsequent donations, the fact of having bought at different auctions allowed us to do so with absolute transparency, while carrying out an arduous and interesting preliminary research task.

 

Collecting is always born for different reasons, and these can be almost endless. The object of desire is installed in front of a spectator who feels an enigmatic bond towards him. Something inexplicable provokes the impulse to possess it and then continue to treasure similar pieces, which motivate the investigation, and the eternal search. Today we have countless tools that help connect with collectors around the world. Going through, searching, reviewing in different areas, still allows to find those pearls coveted by those who intend to treasure them.

 

Collecting, like so many other activities, is handled today with other parameters. But there is always the meticulous and personal choice, no matter what the object of the purchase. It is passion that persists in the enjoyment of enjoying a collection and that makes this wonderful vocation never end.



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