Depending on one's budget and tastes, there are many choices available in today's oil painting market. Fine art auction houses exist in most American cities, and may be a good starting point for serious collectors and people buying art as an investment. For the buyer who cannot afford an original Renoir or Monet, but who wants to enjoy looking at an oil reproduction instead of a paper reprint, there are countless companies that commission skilled artists to paint such reproductions. If one is less sure of what one wants, some companies have extensive online galleries to help a person decide if a particular style or theme works. Some companies also accept orders for custom oil paintings, which could be portraits of people or pets, oil reproductions from a favorite photograph, or anything else that catches the customer's fancy. For a new collector, one way to get an idea about styles and prices of original oil paintings or valuable reproductions is to visit commercial art galleries and auction houses. Shows by new artists can provide opportunities to buy original art at a reasonable price. Online auctions may be another way to find good value for money. Unless trained to appraise art, investors are probably better off asking an expert art appraiser to help them find oil paintings that are likely to provide a good return on their investment. The same rule applies if you are planning to sell an oil painting. The Internet has opened up a global oil painting market, letting people buy oil paintings from distant cultures. Many online sites that sell oil paintings let a customer search by category, theme, size and type of painting surface. Most large cities also have fine art liquidators that hold auctions periodically. Such auctions may provide the opportunity to get some good deals on oil painting reproductions. |
