I think there is a general misunderstanding as to how the art world works and about where good art can be found. There are several art worlds... or perhaps a Venn diagram of art worlds - in some circles you find good work and in others you find the rest. There are hundreds of galleries, of all size and status, that are engaged in offering work which is essentially just furniture or decoration. Sadly these galleries often pretend the work is more significant than it is and so these poor offerings are frequently very expensive. The galleries make fantastic claims as to the quality, but the artists will never be seen in a museum, or receive critical acclaim, or be an investment. No matter how impressive the gallery space, or how well turned out the staff, the work is not good and time will bear this out.

People buying this work are essentially spending a fortune on the fine art equivalent of Jive Bunny or Milli Vanilli. They are being duped into confusing fine art with high end baubles, or at the very least confusing good art for derivative journeyman creations. They’re being duped because contemporary art is a specialist area - one that requires years of looking and learning to understand and fully assess. If you want to ensure that you are not being duped you need to do that work, or get someone to help - at least to begin with.

That is something I can do. I can listen to your requirements and explain where you should look. I don’t represent any artists and so have no agenda in pushing one rather than another. Instead I purely present to potential collectors those artists who I believe to be making good work, who I believe are credible and valuable in every sense. They might be blue chip, emerging or completely unknown, but they all share the fact that I know, after over twenty years of making and lecturing about contemporary art, that they are some of the artists who are currently worth attending to. I want to help make the best work seen and available to more people.

If you wish to be added to my collector list and receive my recommendations, with no charge or obligation, then please email me at info@gregrookadvisory.com