‘If you don’t love it, don’t buy it’

We asked Dean Valentine what advice he’d give to someone who wants to start collecting art. This was his reply:

The first thing is, don’t be afraid. Nobody knows more than you what you like. Collecting is about a relationship between you and the work, and you are as important to that relationship as the art is. Second, you have to love it. It doesn’t matter what any curator says is right -- especially curators -- but also critics or anyone else. You have to live with it.

If you’re just starting out, don’t buy anything yet. Just look -- it’s free, it’s hugely entertaining, and in the process you start developing a sense of what you’re interested in. And when you’re out looking, talk to the gallerists; they are the most underappreciated part of the art scene. If you let them know you’re interested, they’ll spend endless hours talking with you about the work and pulling out objects from the back room. That’s one of the ways I learned.

Be aware that you don’t find real contemporary art galleries in shopping centers or places where tourists hang out. In Los Angeles, Rodeo Drive is probably not the place to go. You’re more likely to find something at 6150 [Wilshire Blvd.], or at the galleries in Chinatown. You should also look at auction catalogs; they’ll give you a sense of price and value. And read the magazines: Frieze, Artforum, Parkett, Tema Celeste and Flash Art all are ones I think are really valuable.

Don’t spend a lot of money at first. You can buy works on paper or drawings by younger artists for between $300 and $1,000, and at that level you don’t have to worry.

Let go of your preconceptions. Don’t worry that you don’t ‘get it.’ You have to give art time. You’ll be surprised by how accessible art can be; it’s made by people who live in the same world you do, watch the same TV shows -- there’s nothing to ‘get.’ But above all, you have to love it. And if you don’t love it, don’t buy it. So examine your motives, and don’t buy for status -- that’s always a loser’s game, unless you have millions and millions of dollars.