COLLECT WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE
What if a painting in your collection that you no longer hold in high regard turned out to be — years from now, when the kids are settling your estate — the most valuable picture you owned? There are smart professionals out there who pay close attention — to artists, to artworks, to career trajectories, and to who is buying what — so they can help collectors make wise decisions. Those advisers have a fairly high rate of success. Yet even they are often unfamiliar with plenty of contemporary artists, even the ones who may ultimately become some of history’s most important. The time I’ve invested in the art world has taught me a couple of essential lessons. First, even the best, longest-lived artists tend to produce during their careers just a…