Become a Scottish Art Collector!
By Brynn Gordon
When thinking of private art collections, works like "exclusive", "expensive", and "intimidating" might come to mind. Despite often being seen as the remit of experts and industry big shots, an art collection is defined only as “an accumulation of works... by a private individual”, framing the enterprise in a far more democratic light. A scrapbook of childhood drawings is an art collection; souvenir postcards on a bedroom wall are an art collection.
So long as there is an effort to discernibly gather art objects, the fundamental definition has been met. Furthermore, the artistic landscape as we know it today only was shaped by the decisions of past collectors to preserve certain works over others. Collections are massively important to the posterity and legacy of an artwork, particularly if one chooses to focus on a smaller, niece field like Scottish art. If one chose to channel the collecting tendencies most people display into artworks that are distinctive in their origin, uniqueness, or academic value, an individual could play can have a small part in shaping Scottish art history in years to come.
For more inexpensive younger artists who may go on to become well-known and influential, consider student shows, art fairs, and even just looking around Instagram. Edinburgh College of Art’s annual graduate show is an excellent place to get insight into what styles are coming in and out. Looking at smaller-scale galleries and collectives can also help you on your quest at a lower price. One example of many is Birdnest Meadows, an offshoot of Edinburgh’s Birdsnest gallery that inhabits an old police box, which sells their more affordable artists in an accessible, welcoming setting.
Alexander Cree, Sketch of Chicken, date unknown, Ink on Paper, 7 × 10cm, unknown.
Another approach better suited to online research is to search for show-stopping pieces, but to collect peripheral, but no less important, works that will flesh out a known artist’s expensive works. This approach could make this work by Dunfermline-born artist Alexander Cree, known for oils and pastels. Despite focusing largely on mid-20th-century interiors in a painterly, modernist style, the looseness of the strokes in the bird and the visible “Cree” signature in the ink sketch echo that of his finished pieces. Similarly, this sketch attributed to Cree comes with greater information on provenance.
Alexander Cree, Still Life, 1951, Oil on Canvas, 99 × 89cm, Lyndon and Turnbull Auctioneers.
Works such as these give insight into an individual’s life and artistic process, despite Cree not being a mainstream figure in Scottish art history. With concentrated collection and academic interest, Cree’s work could become rehabilitated.
While this approach may seem far-fetched and a sure way to accumulate nothing but a wave of impressionist interpretations of highland cows, keep in mind the number of cases where great works are found in unexpected circumstances. While things like the genuine Matisse for 100 pounds on Facebook Marketplace are unlikely to be one of these, everything from Ming pottery to Durer engravings and the 1776 original copy of the US Declaration of Independence have been found in charity shops, auctions and car-boot sales.
By building a “collector’s eye”, one could gather over time a body of work from different artists unique to your individual tastes that present a narrative and focus chosen by you. By acting as head curator of your own tiny museum, you could end up having an tangible effect on Scottish art history.
Bibliography:
“Alexander Cree.” Art UK, artuk.org/discover/artists/cree-alexander-19292014. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.
“Amazingly Valuable Treasures Bought for Very Little Money.” Live Life Richer with Lovemoney, www.lovemoney.com/galleries/63143/amazingly-valuable-treasures-boughtfor-very-little-money?page=43. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.
“Art Collection.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/art/art-collection. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.
Johnson, Anna. “How to Start an Art Collection with $1,000 or Less.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 Oct. 2013, www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/oct/14/how-to-startart-collection.
Silva, José da. “How to Get Started as an Art Collector.” The Art Newspaper - International Art News and Events, The Art Newspaper - International art news and events, 17 Oct. 2023, www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/10/17/how-to-get-started-as-an-artcollector.
“§ Alexander Cree (Scottish 1929-2014) Still Life- 1951.” Lyon & Turnbull, www.lyonandturnbull.com/auction/lot/398-alexander-cree-scottish-1929- 2014/?lot=217782&sd=1. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.