The ‘love-at-first sight’
purchase is clearly the most
pleasant way to buy. However, in general, it is the least
‘profitable’ over the long term... Watch out for a
(bad) surprise if you want to resell the object some day!
Needless to say, it is difficult to set a ceiling on this type
of purchase, due to the subjective component (if this is your
dream painting its price is of little importance in the end)
and objective component (your finances). As professionals, we
are very wary of this type of purchase and we prefer to guide
the amateur towards a more ‘reasonable’ purchase,
especially as, if we set all financial considerations aside,
who can be sure that one will still like the object twenty
years from now, even though one paid a high price for it today?
The ‘speculative’ purchase applies to those who love money, and
sometimes, art. In general, the budget to be allocated to this
type of purchase is rather high. It is very risky by definition
and is reserved for art lovers with a very solid knowledge of
art history and good contacts in the art world. We need to be
clear here: one cannot understand such a complex field by
investing a few hours per week. The myth of an amateur with a
flair for the art market is a myth that remains to be
demonstrated. Although it is true that some amateurs have made
huge gains simply by buying according to their intuition, one
must take account of all works purchased and weigh this gain on
a few objects against losses incurred on the rest of the
collection. If you are not deeply involved in the world of art,
it is better to forget about this type of purchase.
Accordingly, if you wish to invest, you would do better to go
see your banker first!
Based on the amount in question, it would
be interesting to be assisted by a professional. The point here is to make a purchase based on a
full knowledge of the facts, at least in principle. In
principle, because the advice depends on the adviser. So make
sure that you don’t make a mistake in choosing your
adviser. Here a few rules to guide your choice. Unless you are
the person’s client for a long time and you are sure of
his integrity, one obviously does not ask for advice from the
person selling the work: in this case the seller would be judge
and judged! Trust someone who knows both the art world and its
market. They are very few art historians who are competent to
assessing the value of a piece. Conversely, there are few
dealers capable of making a credible a judgement on a work of
art. Finally, don’t forget that you need to deduct the
cost of this assistance from your budget. However, this cost is
theoretical, since this professional is, in principle, there to
help you make a better purchase than you could make without
him.
In conclusion, either art is merely
decorative in your view and your purchases are
‘love-at-first-sight’, to which you allocate a
reasonable budget based on your finances, an amount that you
are ready to lose almost entirely. Or, based on the market
segment that interests you (ancient, modern, contemporary or
other art) you decide to dedicate a larger amount and you
choose to invest a considerable amount of time (several years)
to learn about the subject or to seek
out good advice. In our view, this is the best solution, and the
least expensive in the end, due to the risk that objects
purchased may lose value. However, one must know where to place
one’s trust, and this requires an effort to find the
right person...
This is with a view to enabling you as
well, to have direct access to the art market, that is to say
to benefit from the best prices and from the broadest
possible supply (both in art galleries and at auction), that
Bounameaux’s consulting office was established in 1993.
Not being the owners of the works of art that we offer you and
working perfectly independently, we therefore do not have any
interest, other than yours, when we advise you to acquire one
work of art as opposed to another.
For you, we search the work of art you
would like, selectively, both on the national and international markets,
and this we do as much in the case of a one time acquisition as
when dealing with a collection. We undertake the examination of
the quality and the condition of the work of art in question
and its valuation, in order to enable you to make a decision in
full knowledge of all the elements. We take over the whole
commercial transaction (whether negotiating directly with the
seller or representing you at auction), as well as the
management of all the operations connected with the purchase
(transport, restoration, framing,…). Please do not
hesitate to contact us. Together we will consider the best
solution in total discretion.
