Things can get a little weird on Twitter.
As an NFT art collector I sometimes come across tweets that tell me how I should behave and think as a collector. Not my favorite thing… being told how to behave or what to think.
One of the things I’m told is that collecting art should be exclusively about love for the art.
Apparently, I’m not allowed to sully my love and appreciation of art by considering the monetary value of the pieces in my collection.
If I care about the value of a piece of art going up and down, it seems I need to be relegated to the B team, or lower.
I disagree.
Art and money have been intertwined for millennia. Value is always attached to the art people want and buy.
In the words of Damien Hirst’s agent, more or less, “It’s all about the art until you hit about a million dollars. And then it gets complicated.”
I love art as much as anyone…
I’m a true lover of art. I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember.
And when I buy NFT art, I choose the pieces I love.
I don’t buy individual NFTs thinking they’re a good investment. Each piece has to appeal to me, at a deep level.
More and more, what I buy also has to fit with my collection to date, and it has to sit well with my vision for the future of my collection.
I’m getting a little fussier with what I collect. I’m developing an eye for what I really want.
Mind you, what I can collect is dictated by the prices being asked.
There are some Fidenzas that would sit well in my collection. I’d love one, but the price is way, way out of my reach.
Some collectors are super-rich. True whales. Myself, I’m more like a plump minnow. I buy what I can, when I can.
Does that make my collection any less interesting than the collection of a whale who has several Fidenzas on display? Not necessarily.
It’s about the money… and it’s not about the money.
Back to the main point… I do want my collection to grow in value.
Like I said, I consider myself to be a true art lover.
But yes, I also want my collection to rise in value.
When someone says they believe Chromie Squiggles will have a floor price of a hundred thousand dollars one day, I think, “Yes please!”
Is it OK for me to feel that way? I think it is.
My desire to see my collection grow in value does nothing to dilute or diminish my love for the art.
Art and money have always had a tight and complicated relationship.
Money is part of the narrative, part of the history and story of all art.
In fact, one might argue that the aesthetic value and the monetary value of a piece of art are inseparable.
The money becomes part of the story and the provenance of the art.
And the value of the NFT art I have purchased will become part of the story and the provenance of my own collection.
So yes, dear collector, it’s OK to talk about the money.