Taste Homogenized

There’s a growing tendency in the art world toward what you might call the “cliché collection”, collectors gravitating toward the same artists, styles, and even individual works because they’re popular within their circles or getting attention in the media. There’s nothing wrong with liking an artist who is widely collected, but when buying art becomes more about status, validation, or playing it safe, collections can start to lose the sense of individuality that makes them interesting. Collecting should be personal. It should reflect what catches your eye, stays with you, challenges you, or simply makes you want to live with it.

Part of the excitement of collecting is trusting your own instincts, especially when that means looking beyond what has already been validated by the market. Discovering an artist early or taking a chance on a work that others have overlooked can be more rewarding than simply following the crowd. So when you find yourself drawn to something because it’s already on everyone else’s walls, it’s worth asking yourself why. Do you genuinely love the work, or does it just feel like the safe choice? The most memorable collections tend to have a point of view, and that comes from following your own eye, not the market’s.