Here’s a question that might seem a bit odd…..why do people pay money to own art?

No doubt there are a lot of reasons – all sorts of people have all sorts of motivations for doing all sorts of things.
Maybe we can come up with some answers?

Here are some obvious ones:

• I want to show my friends that I have good taste / am wealthy enough to buy art / am educated
• I have walls that look empty and un-decorated
• I like pictures of places I have been or things I have seen
• I’m a collector and regard fine art as an investment

OK – these are pretty straightforward. But my preference for adding complexity means I can’t leave the question there!

In an earlier blog I discussed ‘costly signalling behaviour’ as a motivation and considered how art buying could be a form of that behaviour.
So how about:

• I want to use my obvious ability to choose art and pay for it as evidence of my desirability as a mate and provider
• Now my kids have grown up I want to have my house reflect my tastes, not other people’s’
• I wanted to get someone I care about a gift that would really show them how I feel about them

I’m fairly sure Jenny and I (Vitreus Art) have sold work to people who were acting on all these motivations.
And we can add another couple, working in the field of stained glass –

• I want to change the way my house looks using light
• I want to create space between my and a neighbour’s house by obscuring a window or two

What other reasons can you think of to add?
Do leave a comment and let us know!