How to Collect Old Master Paintings | Christie's

Your first Old Master doesn’t have to be a Rubens or a Rembrandt — in fact with estimates from £5,000, starting a collection is a lot less daunting than you might suppose, as specialist Maja Markovic explains.

‘An old master collection starts by looking, and it is through discovering what it is that you love that you can really build a well curated collection,’ explains Chrisite's Old Masters specialist Maja Markovic.

The main questions to consider when looking include: is the artist an established name? Is the work from a good or particularly pivotal moment in the artist’s career or development? Is the attribution given in full (or qualified as ‘Studio’/ ‘Circle’/ ‘Follower’ of the artist)? Is the work included in the key literature on the artist — and if not, have the current experts been consulted? Has the work been included in any recent seminal exhibitions on the artist?

'For new collectors, I would recommend acquiring a good example of a work by a relatively minor artist rather than a mediocre example, perhaps in a bad state, by a more established name.'

Find out more: christies.com/features/Old-Master-Collecting-Gu…

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