The Collectors
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Thursday 29 September 2005
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Gordon Brown is going to introduce us to a very clever scheme for collecting works of art. He’s found a group of people who’ve clubbed together to increase their spending power.
This is a group of 25 people who collectively buy contemporary art. Each person puts in a certain ammount every year. The group has a life of ten years and at the end of this period there is an in-house auction to redistribute the the ownership from collective ownership to private ownership.
An annually elected executive has the prerogative in all purchases in the year that they are elected. The group often talk to the artist directly and to experts to help make informed choices.
The collection is always on the move. A piece could live in a person's house, in a gallery or in an office.
The syndicate is a great way to start a contemporary art collection. It is affordable and allows a wonderful variety.
There are presently seven groups running with more to follow nationally.
