I attended my first art auction on a Royal Caribbean Cruise this summer. It was a great experience. I went for the complimentary Champagne and left thousands poorer with some fantastic new artwork. Here’s what I learned from attending an art auction.
Never Drink the Bubbly or Wine
I am not sure what was in the Champagne they gave, but after only three sips, I was willing to swap my sea pass to purchase any artwork at auction. I don’t know where they bought the Champagne, but it differs from the kinds I have had at weddings. You know, the ones you drink and like, are you sure this had any alcohol, or you like, it just Champagne, there’s no alcohol in it.
Have a Budget in Mind Before You Go
So, I can admit I was very naive. I did not realize how expensive art could be. One of the items for auction was more than my house. So, I took a picture of it, and maybe one day I can afford the real one.
As for the budget, if you are only planning to spend a certain amount of money, keep to that budget. Only be persuaded to purchase what you budgeted, which is one of the best advice I can offer myself. However, the wine got to me, and I fell deeply in love with a set of paintings.
You know that moment when you see something, and you desire it and think that you can afford it because you’d recently won a coupon that should have cut the price in half, but the conditional font is so small that you can’t read it until after the fact, yea, that happened to me.
Bidding
Before the auction started, everyone was given an auction number. We got to walk around and select pieces that called us to be included in the auction.
The bidding process was easy. You only had to listen to the auctioneer as he called for the bid by raising your auction card. I was determined to walk out without having purchased anything. However, after multiple paintings had been shown, the auctioneer brought five paintings of Michael Godard, and the whimsical colors and emotions from his pieces left me in awe, and I fell hard. When the auctioneer said, you can have two for the price of one, my bidding sheet went up so fast, and before I knew it, I was one for the winners.
Enjoy Your Artwork
In the end, I genuinely love and appreciate my new artwork. They bring me so much joy and happiness looking at them. I am now considered an art collector, and I cannot wait to save enough money to purchase my next piece of joie de vie!