What I Told a Sotheby’s Veteran That Stunned Her
TBH, I really struggled to write this post. I have been thinking a lot about, what I’ve come to call, your collector type. But I just couldn’t make it land in a way that wasn’t like “y’all have no idea what you’re doing and you need to hire me.”
That’s not what I want to say.
What I want to say is: I see you. I hear you. I’m here to help. But the first step to getting better is admitting you have a problem. And your problem, mes amis, is that you have a collecting blind spot.
It’s not you. It’s not your fault. Everyone has one. How do I know this?
I know this because I’m a professional. But also because of many, many, many hours of shopping for art on behalf of clients — which, as it turns out, is the best education in the world for understanding how people actually look at art.
Sometimes when I’m walking a fair I start looking through the lens of a client. How would they approach this work? What would stop them? What would they walk past? When I do that I realize how much deserving work gets ignored because I’m looking through the eyes of someone far less experienced than I am. I have to force myself to keep my own hat on and look with my own eyes.
What this process has revealed is that everyone has a type. A filter they instinctively use to quickly evaluate whether a work is worth their time. The problem is that filter usually stops at first impression rather than working through the full picture.
Is my interior designer going to be able to design around this? What is the artist trying to say? Where did the artist get their degree? I love the energy in this one!
Sound familiar?
I was walking EXPO Chicago last week with a dear colleague who has spent decades at the highest levels of the art world — the Whitney, Sotheby’s, Freeman’s, and now an independent appraiser working on some of the most significant collections in the Midwest. By the third or fourth time she stopped to admire something I said: “That’s not surprising.”
She looked at me. “What do you mean?”
“You clearly have a type.”
She laughed. And then she realized I was right.
This isn’t just for people who call themselves collectors. Are you newly curious about art? Do you have a few blank walls you’d love to fill with something you actually love? If you’ve ever loved something and had absolutely no idea why, you have a type too.
I built a two-minute quiz around what I’ve observed. It’ll tell you your type and name the blind spot that’s probably been running the show without your knowing it. No wall text required.
For paid members — I walked EXPO Chicago with all four types in mind and filmed it. It’s not a cinematic masterpiece but it is the most useful thing I’ve made for Art I Saw & Liked so far.
Not a member yet? This is a good week to start. Seven days free, cancel anytime. →