Elisa Hernando, expert in collecting: "To buy art you don't have to be a millionaire. For 500 euros you can buy an engraving"

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Art captures by its beauty, overwhelms, removes.

All are useless targets for the survival of the body, of course, but they are essential food for the soul.

That is why art is inherent in human nature.

But beware, art is also a

and it is precisely in that more prosaic area where it commands such great respect that it can throw many back.

Elisa Hernando

(Madrid, 1973) has built bridges for neophytes who want to start the adventure of buying works of art.

Part of her job is to guide those who don't know where to start.

She is a doctor in Economic and Business Sciences and Art History and in addition to her company Arte Global, dedicated since 2003 to advising on corporate collecting, she has launched an online platform (RedCollectors.com) and has managed the First program for 13 years. Collectors at ARCOmadrid (International Contemporary Art Fair), which begins on February 22 in Madrid.

Through these two vehicles,

in a universe that is sometimes as cryptic as art collecting, in which not knowing the codes is like falling into a maze.

Elisa Hernando is, then, like Ariadne's thread.

Yes to you

she is interested in art,

and she has some money for this (she does not have to be millions), she stays a little.

Newbies 'are welcome'.

global art

Does an inexperienced art buyer need accompaniment? In Arco, for example, we see that there are people who do not have much money (1,000 euros, 2,000, 6,000...) and they come to the Fair with the intention of buying.

But it's very big, they see a work that costs 50,000 and another thousand.

Why so much difference?

Yes, they need support.

We help them with the artists, the galleries, the works... depending on their budget.

In the 13 years of First Collectors we have served around 600 buyers.

So, you don't have to be an expert. It is precisely in this program where I see that there are normal people who want to buy and that is why I launched myself on the internet in 2017 with RedCollectors.com.

Anyone can sign up and we make virtual visits to galleries, for example, we give informative talks, and we resolve doubts: whether or not an artist has projection,

if the work is framed or not, on what type of paper, etc.

The good thing about it being online is that someone can buy works from anywhere in the world.

We publish pieces of all prices.

What we do is facilitate the task of buying art for those who enjoy a piece. Isn't it necessary to be a millionaire? No.

For 500 euros you can buy an engraving. What kind of pieces do people buy the most? Paintings, sculptures, photographs, engravings... 80% of purchases are usually paintings. In each edition of ARCOmadrid, a work comes to the fore of eccentric art sold for an exorbitant price.

Are these things really bought? At ARCOmadrid ca we don't ask about works like this.

People want painting, more traditional things.

There are those interested in conceptual art but they are the least.

A half empty glass for 20,000 euros, for example,

it's hard to sell.

It's more of a media issue. What is the 'newbie' buyer profile that enters your platform? They are digitally active and are between 30 and 50-55 years old.

It's a generational thing.

They do feel comfortable buying without having to see the work in person.

You can live in a town in Galicia and perhaps it is not easy for you to go to other places to see an exhibition.

We work with galleries from Spain, Portugal, France and Germany and we also bid at auctions all over the world on someone's behalf.

We have never had a return.

Older people, on the other hand, do need to see it. Are there many speculators in the art world? I've been advising companies and individuals for 20 years.

The people who come just for the investment are very few: I have not seen more than four or five.

The normal thing is to buy for aesthetic and social reasons, that is, that you like to share a work.

It is true that, once you buy it, you want it to appreciate, which is not the same as looking for an investment.

You want to have the work, enjoy it, but also know that if one day you need it, you will be able to recover what you spent, or win.

But if you sell it, you don't do it fast.

There are also those who want to leave that heritage to their children.

Art is not suitable for speculators.

They are not actions.

You need a period of 10 years for a possible revaluation.

Keep in mind that the artist is creating and needs that time to grow and forge his trajectory.

How do you know if a work is overpriced? There are several ways.

For example, comparing it with others by similar artists.

If an American sells something for 40,000 euros and another Chinese,

of a similar level, for 200,000, there is something that does not add up.

The price is closely related to your resume, your level of progress and your creativity.

Do you collect? Yes.

My first purchase was an engraving by Chillida that I bought in installments for 100,000 pesetas.

I don't buy much, but I have an annual budget and I see and decide what I spend it on.

Personally, I am very interested in art that has a discourse, that makes you reflect, although I also like abstract artists with a purely aesthetic work. Do you still have that Chillida?

How much would it cost today? I don't sell my pieces.

I bought it about 20 years ago and today it could easily cost 6,000 euros.

Where do people keep their works? At home, but if they don't fit you, there are specialized art stores.

You can also change every year...

What cities are nerve centers in the art business? New York is still the most important place.

Now Paris is very strong.

They are opening a lot of galleries because Brexit has displaced London.

And beware, Madrid is a wonderful city for contemporary art and ARCO is a very important date in our sector.

We have a level and we must believe it.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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