Art auction frenzy

Faith pointed out an article from Slate.com about how media relishes predicting doom and gloom about the art market going bust, particularly around the art auction season when conspicuous consumption makes a gaudy appearance. Perhaps it's their way of chastising people who buy trophy art for outrageous sums so they can brag to their friends about how much they paid for it.

I have been trying to figure out why more people don't become art collectors even though they are interested in art, and I think this article touches on the answer. We hear too much about hedge fund managers and movie moguls buying art for millions if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, which sways us to believe that we can't get any decent art unless we spend a lot of money. Not true! There is a LOT of great affordable original art out there if you're willing to expend a little effort. And when I say affordable art, I mean great art in the complete range of prices. Something to suit every budget. To prove it to you, I'm going to start highlighting great affordable art. Affordable is a tough criteria, though, because it means something to different to everyone, so I'll just say that for now, it means under $500. Off the top of my head, I suggest you check out Heineman Myers gallery in Bethesda for a show called Stimulating Consumption. Most of the work is priced between $300 and $900.

The most important thing is to buy work that means something to you and not because you want to impress people. So it doesn't really matter how much you spend anyway. The bonus: if you amass a collection of original art to which you have given some genuine thought and you love it, then it will be impressive regardless of how much you spent on it