A beginner’s guide to buying art

Top tips on how to choose an original artwork, from art dealers Mark and Kitty

Mark Greenwood and Kitty Hope are the husband-and-wife team behind Barnstar, selling fine art from their online store. ‘Our core business is mid-century, impressionist, expressionist, cubism, abstract – the whole gamut of genres throughout the 20th century,’ says Mark. ‘But it doesn’t stop us looking at a naïve 18th-century French child with a rabbit! In terms of buying stock, we both put things forward and Kitty has the final say.’

You may love the idea of buying a beautiful painting for your home, but it can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. If you can’t physically see a painting before clicking on ‘buy’ or you’re not sure about how much you should spend, it can be a step into the unknown. We asked Kitty and Mark to share their insights on buying art.

Buy what you love, not what goes with your sofa

‘Usually when I’m looking to buy, I can go through 2,000 paintings and then there’ll be one that just literally makes my stomach flip over,’ says Kitty. ‘It’s that feeling you have when you fall in love with someone – butterflies in the stomach. You know you’ve found the right thing then. Personally, I really like narrative pieces that tell a story and artworks that are “juicily painted” where the artist has laid that paint on really thick and lusciously and unctuously. There’s something very passionate about that, something that makes you want to look at it every day for the rest of your life. People might say, “It doesn’t match my sofa” and I’ll say, “Change your sofa!” Instead, ask yourself: does the painting make my heart sing?’

Above: A portrait by Gerald French in the home of Natalia Willmott

There’s no reason why you can’t buy art online

‘There’s a strong online presence now,’ says Mark. ‘People buy from our website without coming to look at a painting in person. The younger generation are used to click-and-pay, and people are less likely to go to a gallery on the off-chance that there might be something they like. We’ve tapped into that world. If people buy through portals such as Decorative Collective, The Hoarde and Vinterior or another reputable dealer, there’s no reason why you can’t buy direct online. Dealers are vetted and have reputations to look after.’

Above: Vintage floral paintings in the home of Australian interiors stylist Lynda Gardener

Beware of fakes

‘I do all the buying but it’s amazing how many fakes there are out there,’ says Kitty. ‘I don’t know where they’re coming from but someone somewhere is producing “in the style of an artist” paintings and they are convincing. But it’s only when you do what we do, that you realise that one is a fake. For instance, they’ll list it, without a date, and it’s a pointer towards it not being real. My advice is to always buy from a reputable dealer.’

Above: Artworks in the home of online gallery owner Jasmine Rosten-Edwards

Don’t think of art as a financial investment

‘I never think of art as an investment,’ says Kitty. ‘When we got married we had a Hawaiian-themed wedding at Kensington and Chelsea registry office; everyone wore Hawaiian shirts and carried pineapples and it was all a bit mad and fabulous. We commissioned a painting from the day of us dancing with our two best friends and our son, and it’s probably the most beautiful painting we’ll ever own. So I think a painting is more of an investment of the heart, not of the purse. Obviously, there’s a league of art dealers you’d buy from for investment purposes, but that’s not where we’re coming from as dealers. We’re much more about the emotion and the love than the finance.’

Above: The home of artist Philippa Stanton

Budget-wise, if you love it, find a way to buy it

‘In terms of your budget, again, go to a reputable dealer,’ says Kitty. ‘The thing about a painting is there is only one. If you love it, find a way to buy it, because you’ll spend your life regretting it. Paintings are unique! More than 30 years ago we were in a gallery in Whitstable, Kent, and we didn’t have a brass farthing between us. There was a painting of two people walking on a pier and it was very expressionist. It was £100 but we didn’t have £100 spare between us, so we didn’t buy it. We’ve regretted that ever since. We’ve spent 30 years talking about it!’

Above: Original artwork by Dutch artist Lucienne van Leijen

Get the full facts – warts and all

‘You need to research as much as you can about the painting you love,’ says Mark. ‘A customer might ring up and ask us how true to life the colours are in a painting. It’s all hi-res photography, taken in daylight. We don’t correct the colours in any way; we don’t use studio lighting. In the past I’ve taken a painting out into different environments, so the customer could get a good feel for it under different conditions. I took a painting to Sainsbury’s once so they could understand the colour, the scale and everything about it in comparison to the fruit and veg I was standing next to! We fully describe everything we’re offering, warts and all. Even down to bashed frames. Kitty likes to call them “pleasantly shagged” in her description.’

Kitty adds: ‘Sometimes the warts-and-all makes it more beautiful. One painting we had was stitched. It was an early 18th-century portrait that had been damaged at some point and then hand-stitched with a piece of wool – incredible!’

Above: A collection of life drawings arranged together for maximum impact @houseofhipstersblog

Don’t follow names

‘Unless you’re in the world of the big auction houses, like Bond Street, Bonhams or Sotheby’s or you’re an avid collector of an artist, you don’t need to follow any particular names,’ says Mark. ‘Some of the Swedish artists are becoming very sought-after and expensive, such as Fabian Lundqvist, but we only source paintings and take on [contemporary] artists that we love and because it would be a sin not to!’

Above: An 18th-century oil painting in the Oxfordshire cottage of antiques dealer Gilli Hanna

WORDS: AMY BRATLEY