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THE COMPLETE
GUIDE TO
LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
How to Identify, Invest & Care for Your Collection
by: Jay Brown |
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Dear Collectors,
My
first exposure to the art business came when I was in second grade. My father
was the president of the PTA and my mom was a member of a committee of women
known as “The Library Ladies,” whose passion was to somehow raise enough money
to fund a library for my elementary school. This passion caused my parents to
stumble upon an art company from Chicago that was willing to travel eight hours
to Ohio, set up shop for the weekend, and give a portion of their sales to the
school. The PTA agreed to support the project and in 1968, Melridge Elementary
School in Painesville, Ohio was transformed into an art collector’s paradise,
hosting a show of many of the leading artists of the time — Norman Rockwell,
Salvador Dali, Alexander Calder and Victor Vasarely.
The show was a huge success and instantly became an
annual event. The ladies got their library (though I wasn’t allowed to visit it
because I was on school restriction for fighting on the bus), but my
understanding was that many of the kids benefited from it tremendously.
In 1974 when I was 13, my parents started their own art
gallery outside of Cleveland, Ohio. On weekends and after school I would spend
time at the store taking care of customers and learning the ropes of the
business. (Looking back, I realize my parents got me involved in the business so
I would stop setting fires, blowing up neighbors’ mailboxes and doing all the
other things that young boys do.) Eventually, I attended Ohio State University
and in 1983, joined the family art business in a full-time capacity.
For the next 17 years, I spent each and every day
talking with the world’s greatest artists, their publishers, their dealers and
most importantly, my collectors. I learned about each of their concerns — why an
artist chose to paint a certain way, how the publishers painstakingly decided
what images were print-worthy, how dealers battled continuously with publishers
for sold-out product to fill their customer’s orders, and the collectors’
importance to the entire process.
About six years ago, I started writing down the
questions my collectors were asking. Quite often they prefaced the question with
“this is silly but…,” but their questions were hardly silly. In fact, most of
the time I had heard the question time and time before. As I gathered more and
more questions, I realized that there was a tremendous need for a collector’s
guide to fine art prints, and I knew it would make the art of “collecting art”
even more enjoyable.
This book should answer many of your questions about
decorating, investing, conservation and framing, while providing insight into
appraisals, insurance, hanging and the printmaking technology of today. My goal
was to create a book that wasn’t too technical for the beginner and not too
simple for those more advanced. I believe that artists, publishers, dealers and
art collectors will find it a very valuable resource. I hope you enjoy it.
Happy Collecting,
Jay Brown
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