Art pieces for your living spaces

Ram Mallari

New year, new you, and a new look for your home. You are nearly done decluttering your living space and you are now planning to spruce it up.

Part of that plan is to acquire art pieces you can display in your home. But where and how do you start?

Businessman and avid art collector Januario Jesus Atencio III advised that in choosing an art piece, you should opt for one that you like and which has made a positive impact on you. It should not matter who made the painting or created that sculpture.

Atencio, who started collecting art in 1995, revealed that one of the earliest pieces in his collection was “a cupboard with stuff—a teddy bear, some jeans coming out of the cupboard” by artist Jigger Cruz who, at that time, was a young graduate from Far Eastern University.

“I liked it,” was Atencio’s simple explanation when asked for the reason why he purchased it.

“Some collectors might collect with [price appreciation] in mind. It’s sad because there is no art appreciation there,” Atencio lamented.

“You buy art principally because you like what you see. That’s it. If it appreciates, that’s a bonus. But the joy you get if you hang a painting that you like, the joy you get every time you see it—that’s priceless. It has paid for itself. It elevates your mood, it makes you cooler, it motivates you, it inspires you,” he further emphasized.

According to Atencio, he is not too keen on the idea of buying art simply because it is assumed to gain a higher value in the future. For him, price appreciation is just a bonus.

“For me, the problem with art as an investment is that if the price doesn’t appreciate the way you want it to be, no matter how beautiful the painting is, you will always feel disappointed.  And it does not add value to the art that’s with you,” the businessman added.

“Art is there so that when you see it, you feel positive.  Now if it doesn’t go the way you planned it, every time you see that art, you would feel frustrated and angry—you’d feel like throwing it.  It has completely diminished the value of that art,” he explained.

Atencio’s guidelines for acquiring art are personal and also simple.

“Just buy art that you like. If it appreciates, then good for you. It’s a bonus. But you are already well-compensated if it does something to you. That’s the reason that you bought it in the first place,” he said.

When pressed for artist recommendations, Atencio mentioned artists Renz Baluyot, Ram Mallari, Erickson Arcilla and Alex Ibardolaza, whose works are proudly displayed at his Mandaluyong office alongside art pieces by more established and famous artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joan Miro, and Filipino masters Juan Luna and Fernando Amorsolo.

“I’ve always believed that the best place for art is to be displayed so that it can be shared. The worst thing for art is to be put in storage, where not even the owners are able to see it anymore and would just have it like an inventory item.  I think art is best served when it is shared to the public,” Atencio noted.

Atencio also strongly advocates supporting the struggling young and up-and-coming artists.

“These people need a break—that’s about it,” he concluded.