If you are thinking about paintings, you are already lost. Collecting and investing in art purchases is an incredibly interesting world. Addictive. This is not just a bet to win, but a continuous intellectual quiz. But the art market is very different from the real estate or securities markets. I have never heard of fake apartments or promotions that have one or two buyers. But with pictures it happens in different ways.

Nevertheless, horror stories about art cannot be trusted either. The number of dangers lying in wait for newcomers is greatly exaggerated. Not the gods burn pots. Passionate people get caught up in art pretty quickly. And after one or two independent purchases, the majority understands what's what. The main thing at this stage is not to get burned, not to do stupid things, not to be disappointed. In order not to spit out of frustration and not give up all this.

And what does “get burned” mean? Buy for 100,000 what today costs 50,000? Thinking “getting burned” is to overpay twice? Not. This is just not scary. The situation may change, and the price of a good thing may grow. But there are other mistakes that can critically affect the investment fate of works. An arrogant faith in success and excessive self-confidence are the main enemies of a novice collector. Here are ten of just the most reckless ideas that might visit a new art buyer:

1. “Now it is important to buy it as soon as possible, and I will do the examination later. Why give the extra 10,000–60,000 rubles? After all, they verbally confirmed everything to me. And let the one to whom I later resell this picture pays for the papers”

You shouldn't think so. For a novice buyer, the issue of authenticity should generally become a priority. Investment-grade paintings and works by liquid artists of the “risk group” should be bought with strong expert opinions. And not just any experts and organizations, namely authoritative profile experts and institutions. Moreover, even these papers themselves also need to be checked for authenticity. The “risk group” for counterfeits includes, in particular, works of Russian classics (from Shishkin and Aivazovsky to Westchiloff and Hanzen) and liquid nonconformist artists (Zverev, Yakovlev, Nemukhin, Rukhin). It must be clearly understood that it will be impossible to resell the painting by Zverev or Yakovlev without Valery Silaev's expertise in a normal place. They won't buy it. Therefore, we strongly advise you to make the verbal confirmation of the expert in writing. It costs extra money, but to save on this is reckless.

2. “We have to buy Russian art abroad. It turns out that our Aivazovskys and Zverevs on foreign sites are several times cheaper. Why? Surely they are not known abroad. And Russian antique dealers and art dealers are old-fashioned boobies. They just do not know how to use the Internet and do not know that abroad Russian artists can be bought much cheaper”

Well, of course... To think so is to buy in a notoriously unreliable place. That is, where it will be difficult and with no one to resolve issues of dubious authenticity and refund. And problems with a high probability will arise. Therefore... At first, it is better to completely refrain from buying Russian art at small European and American auctions. And especially the artists at risk. The month of warranty that they usually provide is just an advertising lure. Practically nobody succeeds in meeting these deadlines (buy — bring — make an examination — take it back). It is theoretically possible to buy cheap at small auctions. But this is the lot of experienced dealers who are not only armed with good knowledge, but also philosophical about failure. For beginners, these options often become a trap.

3. “Why should I buy expensive first-row names when I can buy cheaply little-known undervalued artists today? Then I just have to wait until their works grow in price”

Noticing the high potential of a budding artist or identifying underestimated authors is definitely not a task for beginners. Here, even for a professional, the risks are high. And even more so for the rest. Super risky strategy. Do not. On the contrary, with an investment focus, you need to collect exactly the first names. With them, everything is already clear, there will be no revision of their meaning. And there will be no liquidity problems either. When the time comes to sell, there will be a sufficient number of applicants. It only remains to agree on the price.

4. “ You say I need to buy first names? Good. What can you say about the sketches of Repin, Malyavin, Vasnetsov and others? They are inexpensive today. Is it worth taking them for growth?”

It doesn't work that way. Name alone is not enough for investment purposes. You need a certain level of quality and completeness of work. Sketches are material for connoisseurs. They are relatively cheap but have limited liquidity. They are not easy to sell. Investments, on the other hand, require works that can arouse the interest of the general public. Large paintings, with a characteristic plot, of a valuable period, completed, not in need of restoration are best suited.

5. “I buy and that's it! I personally like these pictures. Whoever says or dissuades anything there. You need to live your mind”

Right. You can and should buy according to the principle “I like it”. If the goal is to hang on the wall and enjoy. But in relation to investments, this approach is a path of self-deception. When the time comes to sell, you will need to rely on actual demand and price levels for a particular artist. And it doesn't matter how much you personally value the author's skill and innovation. For investments, you need to take into account the state of the market: the number of potential buyers, the prominence of the name, statistics of auction sales, and much more.

6. “My goal is to collect a representative collection, the rest does not matter, because I am not going to sell anyway”

Only buying and not selling is a tactic that severely limits understanding of the art market. Actually, an investor becomes an investor not at the moment when he buys, but when he sells. It is at the moment of sale that a novice collector opens his eyes to many things: what is the real demand, how many people are interested in their favorite artist, what is the current level of prices and much more. It is imperative to sell. This quickly teaches you to figure it out yourself.

7. “I know a good, but not yet promoted artist. I like his works. I would like to buy up more of his works and become a "monopolist" when they grow in price!”

Also a very common story. In the first phase of collecting, many buyers tend to “fall in love” with one artist, buy dozens of his works and hang them around the apartment. Falling into the sin of hoarding. And some go even further and start making plans to promote their favorite artist: with catalogs, exhibitions and other events. Both are not prohibited. But this is not about investment. The risk is too big. Especially nowadays. It is better to leave the promotion to specially trained people, for example, gallery owners. And for newbie buyers, it is better to focus on the already considered tactic “first names — one or two works each — with expertise — periodically sell something”.

8. “Buy paintings by a famous but living artist? What for? Still have time. He will draw some more. I'll buy later”

Talking about the fact that since “the artist will draw again”, then there is no point in buying it — this is also a common misconception. A good artist is not a conveyor belt. He has different periods. There are stronger and less powerful. Therefore, talking about “still draw”, you run the risk of missing something important. Yes, he will. But in a different way. Therefore, you see a great work — do not delay, buy.

9. “Everyone knows that after the death of an artist, his paintings rise sharply in price, so...”

I hasten to disappoint those who pay too much attention to the author's age. In vain. If we talk about Russian realities, then the death of a famous artist is accompanied only by a short-term surge in prices. And more not even a rise in prices, but a jump in demand for the works of the deceased artist. And this applies only to the first names. And after two or three months everything returns to normal. The rise in prices is returning to normal rates. That is, prices are influenced not by the year of death of the author, but by the revision of his significance for the history of art.

10. “Your art is complicated. I can't figure it out myself. It's easier to rely on the opinion of consultants, knowledgeable friends, and other experienced people. I pay money, and let them say what to buy. The main thing is that it grows in price”

Doubts about their own abilities at first are a common thing. But you can't cook porridge without love. Having embarked on this path, you need to immediately accustom yourself to the idea that you will have to learn, delve into and understand yourself. Yes, consultants and friends should be listened to carefully and taken into account. But the responsibility for the final decision on buying and selling is still on you. And the pleasure of making a decision to buy or sell a painting is also not worth sharing with someone.

How long does it take to learn yourself? Already at the first independent purchases, you will be surprised how quickly competencies grow in real “combat conditions”. Using a living example, a collector or investor will very soon find out how the expertise works, what is actually quoted on the market and, in general, how this world works. Yes, it is important to read, it is important to go to museums, but without independent purchases, all this remains “dry swimming”. So the general advice is simple. Buy. Sell. Be smart. And don't be afraid of anything. The moment is right. The art market in Russia today belongs to buyers.

Vladimir Bogdanov, specialist of ArtSale.info auction