Travelling the World in Search of Great Vintage Artworks

We are currently out of the office on a sourcing trip. What does that entail, you may wonder?

As with anything, it starts off with research. We reach out to our network of global contacts to get their help with finding markets and vendors nearby that may be a promising source of vintage artworks. From there, we start to look into the local art scene to understand its history, popular art movements and time periods, as well as influential artists and areas of the city where they lived and worked. We then cross-reference this information with the list of markets and vendors we got from our local contacts and prioritize the most likely markets where we might find some interesting treasures. 

This research helps us to establish some expectations of what we will find and what to look for in a quality piece. We can also start to recognize important local themes and stylings that help to make an artwork special in the context of the location it is from -- this can include everything from local cultural celebrations, landmarks and landscapes, and even flora, fauna, and people.

Also, if we don't already speak the local language competently, we start to learn some basics to ensure we can at least be cordial and professional, and hopefully gain some trust before we start to bargain.

Overall, it's a fun excuse to do a deep dive into a local culture and its art scene. However, this investment of time and effort doesn't always result in success in the treasure hunt. Many markets have become quite commercial, meaning that the prices are inflated for what you find (this is especially true in tourist-heavy areas) or that over time, the vendors themselves have shifted to selling cheap modern household items (like an open air Dollarama), which presumably move faster than the dusty old artworks I'm looking for.

But all in all, that's the "thrill of the hunt" and part of the fun. Cross your fingers that we will be able to share some great finds from our travels.