Eccentric is always good in art

This week, the ABC has presented a great documentary about Ian Fairweather, one of the most important Australian artist. For any person who contemplates building an art collection, this documentary is a must see and take notice. There are a few lessons in there, but for the art collector there is the most important lesson ever to remember - look for passion, people ignored by the mainstream (just note how many artist friends the man had, yet he painted on newspapers, as he ran out of materials!) and collect religiously. If the artist is young, the payback may come too late for you to enjoy, so look carefully.

Like with every investment, value gets created by going against the trend.

References:

http://www.abc.net.au/abccontentsales/s2165378.htm

“It's hard to think of a more difficult subject for a film. Ziegler quickly discovered that many of Fairweather's contemporaries had died, some were unwilling to contribute to the film, and other sources were simply inaccessible, beyond her budget. And too many art world heavies talked in impenetrable jargon.”
Graeme Blundell - The sage of Bribie Island
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25747095-5015662,00.html