How to find work by artists who are no longer living

(When you don't have an art advisor)

I was recently speaking to a member of the Less Than Half Matrons of the Arts Collectors Circle (whew a mouthful!), who had a great question: How do you find art by artists who are no longer living and whose estates aren’t represented by galleries/who don’t have a robust secondary market….when you don’t have an art advisor plugged into selling channels looking for you?

Femmes et orangers fond blanc (1947)

Besides my advice to set an alert on liveauctioneers.com for artists you love (as I mentioned in a previous post), so that you will be notified by email when their work comes up at pretty much any auction in the U.S., there are a few other bits of advice I would offer:

1. Talk about it

   No one is going to offer to sell you a rare, obscure work if they don’t know you’re looking for it. Talk about how much you love x artist and how you wish you could add them to your collection, in conversation, on social media, or through other channels. You never know if someone is looking for a buyer for the exact thing you’re looking for.

Practicing what I preach here when I say I would love to have a work by the artist Baya (see above)— email me if you have any leads!

1. Befriend the people who see it all (aka auction house specialists)