The race is on to capture the hearts, minds and wallets of the twenty-something art buyer. The targets are professionals with a bit of money to spare (think bankers with their first bonus, recently promoted lawyers) but not enough to play in the six- to seven-figure market.
While there is plenty on offer below those levels, “the challenge is how to know what is good,” says Nicholas Campbell, who founded Narcissus Arts to advise on sourcing work for under £10,000. This seems particularly pertinent to people who are gleaning much of their art information and recommendations through Instagram.
Campbell is one of about 20 advisers taking part in a new service called “By Appointment” offered at London’s Art16 fair this year (May 20-22).
Also with younger buyers in mind is the experimental What’s Up exhibition in London this week (14 and 49 Greek Street, W1, to April 30). Lawrence van Hagen, the adviser and collector behind the show, has paired new artists with their more established counterparts to show that their work stacks up. So pieces by Lauren Keeley (priced up to $6,000) and Joe Reihsen (priced up to $16,000) are alongside those by market-darlings Jonas Wood, Sterling Ruby and Mark Flood.