Three ways an art consultant (ie Louisa Warfield Art Consultant) can really add value.

I am often asked how does an art consultant really add value (what they really mean is how do I add value!) so I thought I would pop this down in this blog and that way, the next time I am asked, I can just copy and paste – job done!

1. My 15 years of experience means I can take the long view.

One of the things I have learnt working in the art world is that most people only buy art for their homes at two or three key moments in their life (when they renovate, when they buy a bigger house, when they get a blob of money) and so as a result they don’t follow the art market year after year. What this means is most of my art clients are buying artwork at a moment in time and they don’t know what has gone before or what is likely to come after. As an art consultant with 15 years art-world experience (and counting if you look at the smile lines around my eyes) I have perspective. I know which artists hit on an idea 15 years ago and are peddling the same old shit (sorry, but this happens – and it might have been OK 15 years ago but doing the same thing for 15 years does make it a bit shit in my humble opinion); I know which artists are getting better and better with age; I know which are having a tricky patch; I know which are looking like they are on the cusp of greatness. In other words, I have experience and if you are spending several thousand pounds on a piece of artwork you might find me a useful person to have on your team.

2. I (hopefully) stop you from making expensive mistakes.

Art is one of the last unregulated markets. The bad news is that because of that it can be full of rogues, chancers, people who run off with your money, people who try and sell you something that they say is one thing, but is perhaps not. I have a healthy cynicism to the art world – I have developed a cautious and sanguine approach to the people I work with and only work with people I know I can absolutely trust. My reputation is the most important thing I have in my business and I am not about to go and ruin that by working with one of the many charlatans out there. I know who some of them are (and I think no enough to see through the ones I haven’t yet had the pleasure of crossing paths with) and protect my clients (as much as is humanely possible) from working with them too. Do not be duped by a big shiny gallery front in Mayfair (so tempted to put a link to one or two gallery websites here but have refrained!). Sometimes, they are not all that they seem.

3. I have a great design eye.

Buying art is a creative and aesthetic thing and I have what is know in the trade as a ‘good eye’. I still haven’t quite worked out how I got this (nature or nurture) but have it I do (I wish I could run (or run even) fast but that talent is one that passed me by). My home that renovated myself has been featured in a number of interiors magazines and was picked as the key house in the Living Etc House Tours when they braved coming over the river to Wandsworth! If you want someone to make your house look more beautiful then don’t just rely on an interior designer to do that – we can make a big impact with how we hang your art.

Convinced? Yes you should be 🙂 All this experience does not cost the earth either. I charge a fee to come to your house and give you 10 ideas (from £150) , which we then take off the cost of the work that you buy. This means you get all the value I add for free as we buy you the work at the same price as you would buy it from the gallery. What’s not to love. Call me on 07855 803509 for your first consultation.