Services at HK
- To make the experience of buying art smooth, enjoyable, educational, we coordinate all aspects of the collecting experience. From the preliminary steps of market research and auction grazing, to the penultimate, like managing the installation, framing and de-accessioning of works. For each project, we assist in the acquisition of artworks and conduct all negotiations on your behalf, at no additional cost. Details on our services include:
- Expert consultation and advisory to private and corporate clients in the acquisition and/or sale of contemporary works of art, including 20th and 21st century paintings, drawings and photography and video
- Investment strategy and objective guidance based on individual's aesthetic/taste, budget, and size objectives, and comparative market research and detailed price analyses to achieve a solid financial long-term investment
- Individual and corporate collection management, and appraisal services for estate, insurance and tax purposes
- Exclusive access to artworks by emerging or established artists at competitive prices
- Full curatorial services and assistance in the coordination of deaccessioning of artworks, or in the archival framing and mounting, installation insurance, transport, storage of artworks.
Strategy at HK
Buy fewer works of finer quality rather than striving to buy a quantity of works.
- Buy with eyes not ears. Buy what you enjoy, do the necessary research and work with someone like HKP to help ascertain proper market values. do Not buy because everyone is talking about someone being " hot.”
- Work with those representing your best interests. We strive to maintain impartiality. We maintain no vested interest artists or the work we recommend. Our goal is to provide satisfaction in the long term. Bear in mind that all galleries have an incentive to sell their stable of artists to you. While there are many reputable and outstanding dealers in this space, a dealer’s correct responsibility is to support their own artists and move their own inventory.
- Be extremely circumspect about buying works at auction. Always obtain representations from the auction houses about provenance, condition and other factors. Ideally, clients should work with a seasoned player in this arena until they obtain a comfort level and understanding of the auction universe. This can take some time and usually does not occur with those making a few purchases a year.
- Both within and outside the auction world, try to buy solid blue-chip names with proven auction recordsand primary and secondary market resale history.
- Make a strong note of the fact that auction sales represent somewhere between 10% and 20% of all art sales globally. Many savvy individuals monitor ARTNET or similar search engines that track auctions. As a result, these individuals conclude they have a handle on valuation. In fact 80-90% of art sales are taking place outside of the auction world and there is sometimes no correlation between private sales and auction records. Art is a very unregulated and inefficient market. With such little transparency, costly mistakes can be avoided by working with knowledgeable experts. A learning curve that can take many, many years to bridge can be overcome very quickly with the proper assistance.
- Buy the best work(s)/image(s) within this artist's oeuvre.
- For every work you consider, ascertain whether there is an exit strategy should your tastes change or should you require capital. Should you decide to sell the work, how strong is the demand for said artist’s work? How quickly can you liquidate if necessary and what kind of return can you expect?
