In all actuality, it is often easier to buy your art before you decorate your rooms so that you can pick up dominant colors in the art and follow through with the home furnishings that will highlight the "masterpiece" that you have discovered. You have to decide how much wall space or height on a table can be targeted for the piece.
Remember that you are not committed to always leaving it in the same spot. You can move it around if you move your furniture or just want a change in placement to freshen up an area. Even museums move their collections from place to place at times.
What happens when the allotted budget just does not warrant spending a lot of money on fine art? You'll just have to be creative and make use of the ways that you can get that art within your price range.
The easiest way to do that is to realize that you need to most likely find exceptional limited edition prints rather than original art or perhaps paintings or sculptures by new artists who don't charge as much for their creations.
Learn before you buy. Browse online to get a feel as to what type of paintings or sculptures you are most interested in, what different terms mean in relation to art, and, importantly, research recent selling prices.
Where do you go? Of course, you can go to art galleries and auction houses but, again, visit those that feature artists in your price range, and be sure to familiarize yourself with the process if you want to buy at an auction.
Be sure to choose reputable establishments that will give you a legitimate certificate of authenticity. If you have any doubts about something you want to purchase, it is often worthwhile to pay for an independent appraisal.
Sometimes you can go to a regular estate sale that is being held for a home and/or its contents and get a surprisingly low price on something that appeals to you but doesn't seem to have much value to the one doing the selling.
Local art shows are an excellent source because the artists are usually new, come from a variety of locations, and are anxious to sell their wares at reasonable prices. Their work is specifically showcased with excellent exposure to enhance their careers and connect artists with the art-buying community.
Extensive advertising and media coverage is paid for by the art show, so the artists and art collectors can take advantage of that promotion. In addition, if you really like an artist's work that you end up purchasing, you can get contact information so that you can perhaps buy more offerings in the future.
