Tips for art buyers. There are several types of art. rich people with lots of money will buy anything that catches their fancy. However, investors with little money should be careful while buying art. Here are a few tips:
Decorative Art is known as "furnishing pictures," and is often used for decorating purposes. This classification of art is generally thematic:  "country," "sporting" look, etc. Little intrinsic value exists in decorative art, and rarely is it painted by a "listed" artist. But distinctive decorative art can be expensive, especially if it’s antique. Decorative art will not increase in value. Therefore, it is not a wise investment choice. If you buy, for example, 100 $200-paintings, you could have $20,000 invested in "garage sale" merchandise. Avoid that mistake. Limit your "training paintings" to ten or fewer. Better yet, buy Investment Art.

Collectable Art suggests that someone else also collects the same artworks. Therefore, a market already exists for your painting, albeit small. Collectable art can either be signed or unsigned, "listed" or "unlisted" (recorded in auction price guides). But generally it is of modest quality, not superior work, and not a good investment choice. For example, Florida Highwaymen Art, painted by itinerant Afro-American artists in the 1960s, is "hot" merchandise in Florida, and many local dealers buy and sell this art for a profit. Its appeal, however, is limited to Florida. Therefore it’s Regional Art, and would not sell well in the art capitals of the world. The quality of this art generally is "student work," not academic or professional. If a Highwaymen painting is accidentally left on a park bench, for example, in Paris, London, or Cincinnati, it probably will still be there three weeks later. Discerning art collectors and investors would not show interest in this art. Don’t hold onto collectable art thinking it will one day grow into "investment art." It won’t! Sell it. Move on. If you like the picture, however, and it’s affordable, fine, keep it for whatever is charming about it. But it will not be a wise long-term investment.

Investment Art will always increase in value. High caliber, well-listed artists generally create investment quality paintings. Sought by collectors, investors, and dealers, investment art appeals to buyers beyond the state or local region, meeting national and international demand. Connoisseurs, experts, and art historians determine the quality standards for investment art. Therefore, if you own investment art, it can easily be sold for a profit. Investment art is valuable for three reasons: (1) superior quality, (2) rarity, and (3) scarcity.

Buy

· only original paintings; signed and dated by the artist.

· only listed artists with multiple auction records.

· paintings by artists who produced a prodigious body of work in their lifetime, e.g., more than 200 paintings.

· works by artists who had major exhibitions and shows in their lifetime, e.g., The British Royal Academy, The Paris Salon, The National Academy of Design.

· artworks by artists whose School of art remains highly collected and in demand, e.g., Hudson River School, Brandywine School, California Impressionist School.

· representative examples of an artist’s central theme paintings (oeuvre); for example, Thomas Moran’s Grand Canyon scenes, not his Venice or India pictures.

· subjects that other people collect and invest in, e.g., children at play, women under parasols, genre pictures, mountain and vista landscapes.

· examples that are fresh and new to the market (have not recently been at auction, or "shopped around").

· representative paintings of an artist’s highest quality.

· large size paintings, 24" X 36", but generally not larger than 60 inches on any side.

· examples that are in good to excellent condition.

· paintings with an authenticated well-documented provenance.

· art works that come with a free title, bill of sale, and a guarantee.

· unsigned paintings that are outstanding (if reasonably priced), especially if accompanied by firm attribution from a renowned specialty scholar.