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Rod Maly, president of the Las Vegas Gallery Association and director of Art Encounter, 3979 Spring Mountain Road, urges potential art buyers to "go with what you like, forget about whether it goes with your sofa."
"If it just matches the sofa, how many sofas are you going to buy in your life? How many times are you going to replace the wallpaper?" Maly asks.
Maly, who often lectures to local groups on "What You Need to Know About Art Before Buying," says "too many people go out looking for art thinking it has to go with their environment. Go with a piece you want to see, that evokes emotion. A piece should be something that sets you off, so to speak."
Art galleries can be intimidating to buyers because "people are outside their realm. But don't be afraid to buy what you like. There's not a rule that says, `This is good, this is bad.' If you like Elvis on the back of a tiger on a velvet background, the more power to you."
That said, Maly believes that when you become more educated about that type of art, you may not be so enthusiastic about it.
Maly also advises reading art books and asking questions of gallery personnel about a painting or artist. "There's no such thing as a dumb question," Maly says.
Other tips from Maly:
-- Don't pretend to know something you don't.
-- When buying art, don't be concerned about its investment possibilities. No one can know if one artist's work will become more valuable, or less valuable, over time. "Art gives you back your investment every day," Maly says.
-- Just because a piece is expensive doesn't make it good, and inexpensive doesn't make it bad.
-- If it's something that gives you pleasure, forget about whether anyone else thinks it's the greatest art or not.
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