where to buy decent art at decent prices?

[turboman808]

Don't look for deals? Are you guys kidding?

Hey I got to flip stuff to someone right.

I buy most of my stuff as antique auctions and estate sales.

 

[Scrounger]

Here are a few relatively low-cost suggestions:

Some galleries: CoSo (Copley Society) on Newbury St., L'Attitude Gallery also on Newbury St. (thought it was a hair salon at first), 13 Forest on Mass Ave in Arlington

Open studios at various times through the year:

SOWA (South End) twice a year(also look for First Fridays, certain studios are open the first Friday evening of every month)

Fort Point twice a year

Somerville (pretty much the whole town) at least once, maybe twice a year

Beacon Hill Art Walk sometime in the summer

And the School of MFA has their faculty/alumni/student sale once a year in November (I think)

Out of town: some nice galleries in Newburyport, MA and Portsmouth, NH

 

[Scrounger]

mainly paintings or prints, various styles, nothing really specific beyond that. Really whatever catches my eye. Atm my walls are very bare and I would like to add some artwork. As far as money anywhere from $300-$900 per piece. Also, my walls and ceilings are quite large [10 ft.] so pieces that are small dont really look that great, they sort of look out of place and get lost on the wall space.
QUOTE]

You can group smaller works.

 

[NorCal]

You can get a ton of good art in that price range. There are a boat load of artists that would give their left arm to make a sale, any sale, and 500+ would seem like a windfall. That said, there are many more terrible artists than there are good ones. You need taste to start with. Beyond that I would advise don't get too hung up on super progressive or next level art for all your needs. A simple well executed oil painting can work to fill the gaps. As can repurposing objects.
Also look around estate sales and second hand shops.

 

[StephenHero]

Harvard started a student show last spring and it was really successful. They're going to have another one in April.

 

[pg600rr]

thanks for all the suggestions, lots of great information I will consider.

 

[Douglas]

I strongly suggest you seek out a smaller gallery, off the beaten path, that offers classes. These galleries often have student shows where both students and instructors offer works for sale. It's not going to be the greatest art in the world, but a lot of it is very nice stuff, original art, worthy of hanging on your wall, for reasonable prices. My brother is a professional portrait painter and is affiliated with one of these sorts of "galleries" in the Baltimore area, and there are often very nice paintings of decent size, in acceptable frames, for $500-2000. Some of the nicer works (by the instructors) can be significantly higher but even some of those are pretty nice for the money, IMHO. There are also perfectly fine figure drawings and smaller works, fine for a bathroom or hallway, for just a few hundred bucks.

As others have pointed out, most art schools also offer shows of student works where things are for sale.

It doesn't surprise me that SF would be as full of art snobs as they are snobs about everything else (e.g. "go buy a print of something done by a 'real' artist&quot but there's nothing wrong with a painting or drawing that you like that's well-executed and is an original piece of art, even if you didn't pay $10grand for it.

 

[Scrounger]

Almost forgot - if you go to open studios and the like, bring your checkbook. It's likely to be cash or check only.

 

[RSS]

Sotheby's
Christie's
etc.

 

[eglbc]

2nd the estate/auction route, also think about artists you like and look for their prints, maker sure theyre signed #'d ect...

I have a huge centerpiece print that stops people in their tracks and when they ask how much ($900 + $800 frame) theyre in disbelief.

Supporting the local art school mfa shows is also a good way to get stuff on the wall while you decide what you enjoy.

 

[Hartmann]

On a tangential note, why is framing so expensive? Can someone enlighten me?

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by Hartmann

On a tangential note, why is framing so expensive? Can someone enlighten me?
Because its a great revenue stream. The GMROI has to be fantastic, especially since you can use scrap pieces of wood to make simple frames.

 

[RSS]

Originally Posted by Hartmann

On a tangential note, why is framing so expensive? Can someone enlighten me?
I go to an SF approved framer. All the moulding is carved by hand ... and the "handwork" is extraordinary!

 

[level32]

Advice from a peasant: At your price range I doubt you would want to spend a significant amount of your budget on framing. Perhaps try Michaels once you find a piece you like, they pretty much have a revolving door of 40-50% off coupon for framing needs.

 

[v0rtex]

http://www.turningart.com looks interesting; you can subscribe and get prints sent to you (think Netflix for art) or buy the original pieces at quite reasonable prices. Not subscribed myself yet, but there's a lot on there I like (compared to etsy or eBay where there's a ton of junk).