Collector Peter Hort on the Pleasures and Perils of Buying Art Online Email Print Peter Hort by Rozalia Jovanovic Published: June 14, 2013 Go to top ↑ As a teen, Peter Hort would have to step over a Sue Williams sculpture of a life-sized battered woman to enter his home. Inviting friends over was awkward. But it was part and parcel of growing up in the Hort household overseen by renowned collectors Susan and Michael Hort. The younger Hort, however, is a different kind of collector than his forebears. He buys things online, loves to browse sites like Artsy and Paddle8, and can’t get enough of Twitter, where he keeps friends, family, and fans abreast of the art he’s checking out — he’s already had one follower buy something based on his Tweets. We recently chatted with Hort about his experience buying art online, how the art dealer’s role is changing in the online market, and whether or not the Internet is democratizing the art world. Can you tell us about one work you’ve bought online? One of the more recent things I’ve purchased online is a Jon Pestoni painting, from David Kordansky in California. Unfortunately my wife and I couldn’t go to the opening. And Jon Pestoni couldn’t do a studio visit before the opening. I looked at a number of jpegs, and I think I’m very familiar with his work. Even then, I was hesitant and cautious. I sent a dear friend of mine to go to his studio and take a look at the piece that we were about to commit to. And he said it was a lovely piece. Still, it was a little bit of a leap of faith. How many works of art have you purchased online? Online, without seeing the work in person, I would say probably, about 10 to 15 pieces over the last few years. But understand, we buy a lot of art. So proportionately speaking, that’s a small number. What’s the most you’ve ever paid for such a work? Probably the Jon Pestoni. I think we paid — I’m doing this off the top of my head — I think we paid $19,000. What advice would you give someone looking to buy art online? I would caution people. I don’t love to purchase things from a jpeg unless I know the artist’s work, and I’ve seen other things in the same style. Even then I’m a little cautious. You’re not quite sure what you’re getting. That doesn’t mean that online tools aren’t extraordinarily valuable. I think they’re great, and I use them all the time. What are some other ways you use the Internet as a tool for collecting? Effective galleries will send images of works of art. They’ll preview shows. They’ll preview things they’re going to show at different fairs. Therefore I’ll have an idea of an artist I’m interested in and I’ll have an idea of what the work looks like. Then, what I’ll often do is I’ll put works on hold and say, ‘Yes, I’d like to see this as soon as possible.’ Twenty years ago you’d get similar previews but in postcard form. And it wasn’t much better. What are the benefits of looking for artwork online? Online serves two functions. First, it’s a great introduction, whether through previews sent from the gallery, or an online portal like Artsy that shows you pavilions at the Venice Biennale. Another function is organization. I happen to be a big fan of Twitter, so I will post Tweets of what I’m looking at to show my parents, wife, and friends. What do you think about online art fairs? The VIP Art Fair was a success in that it demonstrated how interested people are. In the first incarnation, there were a lot of computer problems, I think, because there was such strong interest. If you’re showing in the fair, the computer problems may be an issue, but if you’re taking a step back and you’re not personally involved in it, you realize, this is a success. Does the relationship with the art dealer exist in the online model or is that disappearing? I think the art dealers are still very much a part of it. Most of these artists are being presented through their art dealers. But mostly, there’s a conversation. If you go online and just pull the trigger, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. If there is a piece online that I think is really great, I will pick up the phone, or I will email the art dealer and talk about it. If the art dealer is smart, they’ll realize that it’s not the sale of the artwork that’s important to me, it’s building the relationship. The art dealer is still the gatekeeper. Have you ever bought anything online without first calling an art dealer? Totally blind? No. I haven’t been that bold. What, if any, ‘online collecting’ stories have you heard that surprised you? It’s shocking to me how much money people will spend on something they buy completely sight unseen. I’ve heard someone purchased something for $90,000 and they only saw a jpeg. I’m like, ‘Are you mad?’ That’s a lot of money. And you can’t return it like a pair of shorts at Walmart. Do you think the online marketplace is democratizing the art world? My intuition tells me that clearly the answer is ‘yes.’ But I don’t think so. The hierarchy is still there in the art world. If there is an institution that wants a piece, they usually get first crack at it. So, if there is a major collector that has a very public collection, and they’re the type of collector that holds their pieces, they usually get the second crack at it. If there’s someone who supports a particular artist or a particular gallery, they get the third crack at it. There is a hierarchy in the art world and the piece that actually comes online has been filtered through that hierarchy already. Collecting, Peter Hort, Rozalia Jovanovic Share: Email to a Friend COMMENTS 1 Comment + Add Yours by Dale on June 14, 2013 at 10:06am I follow Hort on twitter and love to discover new artists through his feed. I feel like he is two steps ahead of what other people I follow, things I read and people I talk to. I look forward to his postings. After reading this article, I just love the way he thinks. His comment on the VIP Art fair is right on. Reply
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:50:09 +0000
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