#2 The Process of Collecting

It is not what most collectors think

Owning a bunch of objects is not collecting. Mostly, this is a process of accumulating. Collecting implies a process based on knowledge about many things, or, even better stated, collecting requires that the collector work hard at gaining real facts about the process in which he is engaged.

The collector of fine art objects strives to find and own objects which possess the finest of traits that constitute a great work of art. The term fine art is defined in many different ways, but usually implies that the inanimate object itself has the ability to communicate with humans. I try to summarize this trait as “personality”; the object has its own, personal, distinct and readily observed personality. Fine objects of art, fine art objects, objects that are fine art, are all terms that imply that the object stands out, often singularly, from related examples.

Objects that are fine art usually are very expensive, far beyond the economic capabilities of the great majority of people. It is because there are very few objects extant in the world that have the required characteristics and there are a great many people who have great amounts of money anxious to buy these objects. However, all is not lost. A collector can find many, many objects to own that can give the collector a lifetime of pleasure.

BUT, no collector can maximize his pleasure without reading and looking, a lot!
And, no collector can be knowledgable without handling a great number of different objects.
AND, BEST OF ALL, you need not collect in order to derive a great deal of pleasure from art.

The wonderful thing about it is that ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE in this activity; there are NO entry requirements. There are jillions of ways of participating.