The Art of Collecting: A Collector’s View with JM Finn 

Nina Etherton co-manages JM Finn’s multi-asset investments funds, which are designed to take care of your investments and free up your time so that you can focus on your passions in life – like getting started with your own art collection! We loved sitting down with Nina to discover more about her art collecting experience, as well as top tips to guide your visit to Affordable Art Fair Hampstead this May. Over to Nina…

When did your interest in art first begin? Can you recall a specific moment or experience that sparked your passion? 

Going to galleries and looking at art was a constant thread of my childhood. My mother tried to teach me to draw by presenting me with a heavy book on Picasso, telling me to sketch from the pictures. I copied and re-copied Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon and fell in love. I was totally unaware of the subject matter (sex workers in a brothel) or the echoes of Giotto and Velazquez, but I was mesmerised by the forms and colours. I have since seen the painting in real life at MoMA in New York and still find it incredibly powerful.  

What has been your experience of browsing or buying at the Affordable Art Fair? 

Pootling around art fairs is one of life’s great treats. Not only is it a lovely way to spend an afternoon or evening, it’s also an efficient way to see lots of galleries in one place. There is a buzz one gets at Affordable Art Fair from the fellow pootlers. Being part of a crowd can make looking at and potentially buying art much less intimidating than walking into a dauntingly empty commercial gallery. The gallerists at Affordable Art Fair are more than happy to give you background information on any piece, without the expectation of a purchase, so it is a great environment to learn about new artists. 

“Pootling around art fairs is one of life’s great treats“

Can you describe the first piece of art you ever purchased? What made you decide to acquire it? 

I bought a piece by an artist called Jack Penny several years ago from his first solo show in London. Penny is based by the coast in Bosham but travels up to London to take inspiration from the ‘odd city folk’. His work focuses on these urban characters but presents them as if from the gaze of a puzzled outsider. He takes inspiration from artists such as the German neo-expressionist George Besselink in representing the human form but in an abstract way. The work I bought is of pastel and oils on paper, it is the image of a man’s face whose gaze I find very arresting, despite the bright and joyous colour palette.  

What is the most recent artwork you’ve added to your collection, and what attracted you to it? 

Most recently I have acquired a pair of paintings by a Scottish artist called Philip Maltman. They are abstract works of oil on canvas with a whiff of the De Kooning or Cy Twombly about them. The earthy pink and brown brush strokes are inspired by the Devon countryside. As is often the way with abstract expressionism, the spontaneity is very calming.  

How do you go about discovering and learning about new artists or art pieces that pique your interest? 

I go to galleries; exhibitions, but also permanent collections, which we have such a plenitude of in London. I go to art fairs and talk to the gallerists. College graduate shows can also be fruitful places to discover new artists. This summer I am going to Tuscany, which is obviously a treasure trove for learning about art. I will revisit the Uffizi and hopefully go to the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Arezzo for the first time.   

What piece of advice or tip top would you give someone looking to start their own art collection?’ 

First and most important, I believe you should buy art not as an investment, but because you love it.  However, there are clearly practical elements to consider, most obviously affordability or wall space. Understanding the medium is crucial when considering price. Art can seem expensive, but usually you are buying something unique. Affordable ways of gaining access to an artist may be through an etching, lithograph or print as they are likely to be part of a run of multiple copies.  

Equally important to choosing the work of art is the frame it goes in: if a piece does not come framed, you will need to include this in your budget and do consider investing in UV protective and anti-reflective glass. Finally, hang everything carefully and always use rawl plugs!  

“First and most important I believe you should buy art not as an investment, but because you love it”

If you could acquire any single piece of art in the world, regardless of cost or availability, what would it be and why? 

Without question I would like a Rembrandt. 

I would probably choose Woman Bathing in a Stream for its tenderness and honesty. In it, Rembrandt depicts his partner Hendrickje Stoffels picking her way through the water, holding up her dress to stop it getting wet. I find it a much more intimate depiction of a woman than any nude. Its small size makes it totally appropriate for a domestic space and it would look perfect above my bath!  

I suppose I will have to content myself with popping in to see it at the National Gallery from time to time.  

To find out more about how JM Finn could help you to simplify your financial life, please visit their website at www.jmfinn.com.  

Affordable Art Fair is back at Hampstead Heath 8 – 12 May 2024. Book your tickets here.