Image courtesy of Greenwald Antiques

By CYNTHIA SCHUSTER EAKIN

Purchase something for your home that gives you pleasure and potentially pays you dividends.
Fine art can be an investment for your home. But, when it comes to buying fine art, how do you know what it is worth and how do you display it? Here is some advice from the experts.

“Buy what you love. Art should not be an impulse purchase. Take time to fill your walls,” Sara Kraber and Leslie Kammer of Wood Trader Framing cautioned. “Do not shop online. Auctions are the best value. Local appraisers include Michael Wolf, Rachel Davis Fine Art Services and Neue Gallery.’

“Ask Michael Wolf for suggestions about artwork by local and regional artists,” they said. “He is THE source for that type of information. Go to Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) shows to find the next great local artists. Get your name on their email list for show information.”

Asked about the framing and lighting of artwork, Kraber and Kammer suggest, “Go to the experts. Framers shouldn’t charge to tell you if the mat and glass materials are archival.”
“Fine art can be purchased through many avenues, including art galleries, art auctions and online,” Rebecca Gruss at be.gallery in Chagrin Falls said. “Most people really need to see fine art in person to get a true feeling for its quality and emotion, so purchasing fine art in person is important.”

“I have found that some of the most sought-after regional artists are Rob Crombie, oil painter, and Jaymi Zents, pencil and oil on birch wood artist, as well as Alice Kiderman, sculptor, and Kim Mettee, jeweler,” she added.

“Depending on the art piece itself, lighting is very important and is probably the most difficult to achieve in the home. If spotlights are not already pre-wired in the home, there are several good options for battery-operated art lights in the market,” Gruss said. “When someone is looking to purchase a large art piece, I always like to dim the lights in the gallery to show the customer how the piece will look under indirect or low light, in the event that they do not have spotlights in their home.”

Monica Glasscock, gallery manager at Artisan’s Corner Gallery in Newbury, noted that, “Buying art for your home as an investment should be done through reputable galleries or auction houses that deal in fine art, although art in the home should also reflect your tastes and interests. With a world full of art, you can accomplish both.”

“Being relatively new to the Cleveland area, in the short time that I have lived here I have framed many amazing works of art by some of the Cleveland School artists and others,” she added. “Some of the most collected that I have had the pleasure of framing are Clarence H. Carter, Henry George Keller, Ora Coltman, Robert Laessig and Joseph O’Sickey.”

“There are several reputable and established galleries and auction houses right here in Cleveland. Wolf’s Gallery, Gray’s Auctioneers and Rachel Davis Fine Art Services are places that I would recommend for fine art acquisitions and appraisals,” Glasscock said.

“When it comes to framing, independent professional framers are the way to go,” she added. “Reputable framers are easily found. Do your homework. You should be looking for a framer with experience, a framer who practices conservation and preservation framing. Go to their shop and look at the work that hangs on their walls. Ask questions about framing practices. Ask about storage and insurance for you work. Framing fine art is also an investment in your art. If you spend $1,500 on a work of art, you should expect to spend that or more on the proper framing.”