Things to Know When Buying Art Online

Ever since the advent of the pandemic, many art enthusiasts and homeowners that once roamed the city’s various art galleries in search for valuable artworks are now confined to the safety of their homes because of lockdown restrictions. That’s why many galleries have shifted to online ventures so that enthusiasts and homeowners can continue buying art from them.

According to Topherstraus.com, one of the world’s leading websites for hosting the artist’s famous nature paintings, buying artworks and paintings through the internet has become considerably easier than before. Considering the pandemic is going to be relevant for a while, buying art online is one of the only means for purchasing art for many people out there.

However, buying art online, or any valuable commodity for that matter, has its own fair share of risks. There are a number of things that you can do while buying art in real life such as verifying the quality of the painting, its style, colours and authenticity that buying through the Internet simply cannot achieve.

Thus, if you do decide to purchase art from online galleries, it is necessary that you know several tips and things that will help you find the perfect and most authentic painting for yourself. In this article, we will be listing several tips and things to look out for when purchasing paintings from online galleries. Read the article till the end so that you don’t miss out on crucial details.

Page Contents

Research the artists and the gallery

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Getting to know the artists before buying their artwork gives you the context and intimacy the artist experienced when they first created the painting. It lets you put yourself in their shoes and see what they saw while they painted their colors over the canvas. If you are looking to buy paintings online, we strongly recommend that you get to know your artist before you do so as it will only enrich your artwork purchasing experience.

While you are at it, we strongly recommend that you check the legitimacy of the gallery as well. Looking for simple signs such as a verified site symbol on your search bar or social media influence can serve as stark indicators that a gallery is authentic. Check the founders of the gallery and see if they are experts in their field and have experience to back their reputation. All these factors should give you a clear idea of which gallery is truly original and which is not.

Purchase art that matches the decor of your room

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The moment an artwork is hung on the walls of your house, it essentially becomes just another component of your decor. Unless you intentionally want your paintings to look desynchronized with the rest of your decor, we strongly recommend you to opt for art that matches the color and theme of your home’s pre-existing decor and furniture.

For example, if the decor of your home focuses on lighter themes of blue or white and has everything else to complement it, opting for a painting with dark and red as the primary theme might not be the best idea. Instead, it will be a much better option if you choose lighter paintings, preferably the ones that are whitewashed as they will really help you bring the decor of your home together.

Consider the size of the art

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While buying art in an offline space, you can easily figure out the dimensions of a painting or an artwork with a single glance. This helps you imagine how the painting will look in the spot you designated for it in your home and if there is ample space for everything else to look harmonious together.

However, you don’t have the same option while you are purchasing art online. You can’t really see the painting in person and evaluate whether it will be the perfect painting for your place. All you have is the dimensions of the painting that the gallery gives you and time to figure out whether the artwork will fit comfortably or not.

Fortunately, you can easily figure this out with a few simple procedures. Firstly measure the amount of empty space you have on your wall and figure out the size range that you want the painting to occupy. Next get some paper or cardboard and cut it in the dimensions of the painting and piece them on the wall to get a visual idea. Alternatively, you can ask the gallery to provide a visual model of their artwork in your home if you have your home’s interior design at hand.

Ask the gallery as much as possible

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Buying art online is very unlike buying simple and cheap commodities. Art is expensive and as such, you have the full authority to ask the gallery any amount of questions you’d like about their paintings and art pieces. Most online art galleries have a dedicated customer support team ready to serve their customers and answer any queries you might have.

To be fully satisfied with your online art purchase, make sure that you ask the gallery all the questions you have in your mind regarding the authenticity, color, origin and even texture of the painting. Let them know that you want to see the paintings and artworks in different light conditions and with close zoom-ups and they will be more than glad to help you.

Verify the authenticity of the artwork

Source: whyy.org

If you are spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on art online, it is your responsibility to ensure that you get the artist’s original artwork and not a fake replica. There are many shady art galleries that dabble in this venture and make profits by delivering cheap replicas to their clients.

Ensure that you ask for a provenance or authenticity certificate for each original artwork you buy as proof that it was painted and created from the original artist themselves. These certificates have the artist’s own signature (or provenance, if deceased) and a guarantee from the gallery themselves about the painting’s authenticity.

Conclusion.

When you are out in the market of purchasing art online, there are several things you need to look out for and tips to consider to make a wise purchase. If this article was insightful for you, please consider following our website for regular updates as it will help us out immensely.