Melbourne’s newest art gallery LUMAS comes from a gallery concept that started in Berlin.
Founded in 2004 by Stefanie Harig and Marc Ullrich, LUMAS is all about making art available to more than one market. With the online gallery and home-style galleries in over 40 places worldwide – including London, New York, Zurich, Vienna, Paris, Berlin, and now Melbourne – it’s all about creating a safe and non-stuffy space to enjoy and buy art.
Eugenia Wilson, a young entrepreneur from Melbourne, is the woman responsible for bringing LUMAS to us here in Richmond. With an art collection to start, we chatted with her about how to go about it. Here are her top five tips.
1. Learn what you like
With so many different styles of art out there, it’s important to firstly establish what you like and what moves you. Start by visiting art galleries without the intention of buying, to get a sense of your tastes and preferences.
2. Set a budget and start small
However enthusiastic you may be about a certain artwork, ensuring that you set and stick to a budget will keep you on track. Typically novice collectors will start with something small and build the collection from there. Works on paper, such as the photography and limited edition prints available at LUMAS are a great place to start as these are more affordable than canvas. Limited edition prints are also less risky and smaller editions create rarity.
L’Embarquement pour Cythère Nº 11 © Isabelle Menin, www.lumas.com
3. Stay true to your tastes
This means acknowledging that you like certain types of art, whether or not you are supposed to or what seems to be a current trend. Your personal tastes will be the one thing that makes your collection unique and interesting.
4. Think about where it will feature
When considering an art piece, think about where and how you would use it. If you are looking to find a piece for a particular area in your home, it helps to measure the space available, as well as take note of the colours in the room and the natural sunlight. You can then decide what mounting, finish and framing you may want for this piece.
5. Keep evolving
A good art collection grows and evolves with the collector’s taste. Don’t be afraid to experiment and reappraise your tastes along the way. Edit what doesn’t fit with the collection and build on what does. What excites you one day could easily bore you the next!
LUMAS Gallery
597 Church Street, Richmond
www.au.lumas.com
Expect a range of artistic expressions from photography and digital art to contemporary design pieces. Between the online gallery and the Richmond space, there will be over 1,800 pieces on offer for art lovers to start or continue their collection.
