Collecting Pre-Contemporary Art Online: New Ways to Look, Learn and Buy

Fascinating online discussion as part of the Masterpiece Fair online about how selling and purchasing older art and antiques has changes during lockdown and what we might learn from this.

The event was well chaired by Anna Bray from the Art Newspaper and included collector, Katrin Bellinger; chair of the Masterpiece Fair, Philip Hewat-Jaboor; dealer, Philip Mould and Orlando Rock from Christies. They all outlined how they had adapted to lockdown including Philip Mould discussing his Art In Isolation videos, Philip Hewat-Jaboor talking about how the fair moved online and what they have learn from it and Orlando Rock looking at new techniques, such as augmented reality, being used by his auction house.

I was most interested to Katrin Bellinger saying she has bought cheaper things in lockdown or works she knew already and could trust. I loved he quote of “As a collector you need your fix”. She also discussed her collection’s website and how they have started to do a bit more curating of the works into categories. She said she misses the conversations you get at fairs and the chance meetings and wondered if they could be recreated in the virtual world.

I felt the very fact I was attending this talk online was a sign of some of the changes. I’m not sure I would ever have been brave enough to go to Masterpiece but I have loved the online talks they have put on and hope this continues even when we can meet again.


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