Educating the art advisor, with co-founder of One Art Nation, the art education go-to site, Julia Wehkemp

by leslierankowfinearts

Art Advisory 101
One Art Nation

IN TODAY’S OVERHEATED YET UNPREDICTABLE ART MARKET, WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ARTWORK CHANGING HANDS ANNUALLY, SOME COLLECTORS LOOK TO THE EXPERTISE OF ART ADVISORY SERVICES FOR GUIDANCE ON HOW TO COLLECT WITH CONFIDENCE AND LONG-TERM VALUE.  THE BEST ADVISORS START WITH AN INITIAL DIALOGUE WITH THE CLIENT TO ESTABLISH THEIR GOALS AND AESTHETIC DIRECTION, INVESTING TIME IN VISITING GALLERIES, PREVIEWING AUCTIONS AND TRAVELING TO ART FAIRS BEFORE ANY PURCHASES ARE MADE. WHEN THE SELECTION PROCESS BEGINS, THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, INVESTMENT VALUE, CONDITION AND PROVENANCE OF THE WORK ARE BUT A FEW OF THE ISSUES THAT A PROFESSIONAL CONSIDERS IN DETERMINING THE ACQUISITION OF A WORK, AND HOW HIGH TO BID AT AUCTION OR IN THE SECONDARY MARKET.

Art Advisory 101
One Art Nation

THE AUCTION HOUSES OFFER COURSES, BOTH ONLINE AND IN PERSON, IN BUILDING A COLLECTION AND THE VALUE OF ART AND INTRODUCTIONS TO CONTEMPORARY ART BUT ONE ART NATION IS UNIQUE IN ITS FOCUSED AND ACCESSIBLE PROGRAMS ON BECOMING AN ART ADVISOR AND ON THE ROLE THE ADVISOR PLAYS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ART MARKET AND COLLECTING.

TODAY, THE LRFA BLOG IS DELIGHTED TO INVITE JULIA WEHKAMP, CO-FOUNDER OF ONE ART NATION, TO EXPOUND ON THE ART ADVISORY PROGRAMS 1AN CAN OFFER BOTH THE ASPIRING AND THE EXPERIENCED ADVISOR.

https://www.oneartnation.com/

Julia Wehkamp
Co-Founder, One Art Nation

JULIA, ART ADVISORY 101 IS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE COURSE ON THE BUSINESS OF ART CONSULTING.

THE ART ADVISORY FIELD DOES NOT HAVE A STANDARD FOR BEST PRACTICE UNLESS ONE WISHES TO VOLUNTARILY APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP TO AN ORGANIZATION SUCH AS THE APAA (ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL ART ADVISORS).

WHAT ARE THE TOPICS THIS COURSE COVERS?

That’s true… No industry-wide standard exists for best practice: not for individual art advisors nor art advisory firms. Oftentimes this opacity prevents collectors from hiring an art advisor. This is unfortunate because a good art advisor provides tremendous value to their clients: educating them on art, saving them time and money, and reducing their transactional risk.

Aspiring art advisors, too, are left to their own devices when it comes to navigating the idiosyncrasies of the art market. No education exists on topics such as appropriate fee models or managing client relationships, including potential conflicts of interest. Until now…

We have created the Art Advisory 101 Program to set an industry-wide standard for the art advisory profession. The program consists of a series of informative and interactive online courses, which have been created to guide aspiring art advisors on how to navigate the art world, set up a successful art advisory business and follow best practice. The five pre-recorded modules cover:

  • Art Market Fundamentals
  • The Drivers of Value in Art
  • Helping Your Clients Build a Meaningful Collection
  • Managing and Selling Art Collections
  • How to Set Up Your Own Art Advisory Business

Annelien Bruins of Tang Art Advisory

ON THE ONE ART NATION WEBSITE, ANNELIEN BRUINS, CEO AND SENIOR ART ADVISOR OF TANG ART ADVISORY, SHARES HER EXPERIENCE ON HOW TO BECOME AN ART ADVISOR. THIS IS JUST A SAMPLING OF THE SCOPE OF THE 1AN ART ADVISORY 101 PROGRAM

What does an art advisor do?
An art advisor advises emerging and experienced art collectors on all matters related to the acquisition, sale and management of their art collections. In a market as opaque as the art market, art advisors provide value by acting as their clients’ advocate. By providing market research and art expertise, art advisors save their clients money and time, and reduce their transactional risk.

How can I set myself apart as a professional, best-in-class art advisor?
It starts, of course, with your knowledge of and eye for art. You simply have to be good at what you do. But in an unregulated market like the art market, it’s possible to distinguish yourself by how you conduct your business. You set yourself apart by following best practice guidelines: transparency on remuneration, avoidance of conflict of interest and complete independence from auction houses and galleries.

How can you distinguish between a novice and an experienced art advisor?
There is of course no substitute for experience. The longer you do something, the better you become at doing it. That said, we feel that we can make it easier for emerging art advisors like yourself to enter the market and set up your business. Rather than you having to learn the ropes for yourself over the course of years, we save you that time by providing art advisory essentials in the Art Advisory 101 program.

https://www.oneartnation.com/5-questions-on-becoming-an-art-advisor/

JULIA, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO EXPAND THIS PROGRAM?

Currently, we are producing Art Advisory 201, the sequel to Art Advisory 101 program, based on popular demand by more established art advisors. We discuss best practice, legal and business considerations for art advisors and how to successfully market their services and grow their firm. We have also included two in-depth modules on acquisitions and sales – all with the idea of bringing increased professionalism and transparency to the international art world.

CRUCIAL TO ANY BUSINESS BUT PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT IN THE ART BUSINESS, WHICH HAS EXPLODED TO GLOBAL PROPORTIONS, IS THE ART OF STAYING CURRENT. ART ADVISORY 201 SHOULD PROVE AN INVALUABLE TOOL FOR EVERY ADVISOR, NO MATTER HOW EXPERIENCED.

THE LRFA BLOG LOOKS FORWARD TO LEARNING ABOUT ONE ART NATION’S PARTICIPATION IN SEMINARS AND LECTURE SERIES IN OUR NEXT POST WITH CO-FOUNDER JULIA WEHKAMP.

JULIA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BLOG AND THE GREAT PROGRAMS YOU OFFER.

STAY TUNED!