TL;DR
Gallery founders Lauren Sands of LES Collection and Chelsea Neman Nassib of Tappan Collective say new collectors can begin at any budget or experience level. Their advice is to explore art in person and online, buy work that resonates personally, and keep records that document a piece’s provenance.
A Veranda report on starting an art collection features advice from Lauren Sands, founder of LES Collection, and Chelsea Neman Nassib, co-founder of Tappan Collective: explore widely, buy work that holds personal meaning and treat collecting as a long-term process rather than a way to fill empty walls. The founders say collecting is open to people with different budgets and levels of experience, while urging buyers to learn about artists and preserve documentation for purchases.
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Neman Nassib recommends visiting galleries and other places where art is shown, paying attention to what attracts you, and learning about the artists behind the work. In the report, she compares developing an eye for art to discovering preferences in fashion, home decor, wine or music: personal taste can become clearer through exposure and time.
Sands advises following galleries whose work appeals to you, as well as artists who may introduce collectors to other makers. She also suggests looking for art while traveling and at art fairs, markets, auction houses and on Instagram. People interested in a particular artist can ask about a commission, she says, rather than assuming custom work is available only to wealthy buyers.
The founders also discuss practical support for buyers. The report says LES Collection offers art consultation and commissions, while Tappan Collective provides personal curatorial services and project management for commercial clients and developers. Neman Nassib advises keeping literature provided with a purchase to help document its provenance. The report says gallery platforms can help buyers check that a work is original and fairly priced; it does not provide independent price data or specific verification procedures.
A More Personal Route Into Art
The advice addresses a common barrier for prospective collectors: feeling that art buying requires specialist knowledge, a large budget or confidence about what will appreciate in value. Sands and Neman Nassib instead frame collecting as a way to live with work that matters to the buyer. That approach shifts attention from filling a home or pursuing investment returns toward building knowledge and relationships with artists over time.
For first-time buyers, the practical message is to combine personal response with basic research. Visiting exhibitions and following artists can help clarify taste, while retaining purchase documents can support a record of a work’s origin. The report offers guidance from gallery founders, not a market analysis; it does not establish that following these steps guarantees a particular financial return or future resale value.
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Two Digital Galleries, Different Services
Sands founded LES Collection after working as a lawyer. According to the report, her early exposure to art included visits to Artisan Works, a nonprofit gallery in upstate New York, and she later developed an interest in making the art world more accessible to consumers while supporting artists. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a career change and the creation of the digital platform.
Tappan Collective, described by Veranda as a digital art gallery and education platform, was founded in 2012. The report presents both businesses as examples of online services that connect buyers with artists and offer help with discovering or selecting work. Their commercial role matters when weighing their advice: they are practitioners in the art market, not neutral consumer regulators.
The article’s broader guidance is to take time. A collection does not have to be assembled all at once, and a buyer need not know in advance where every piece will go. Sands and Neman Nassib encourage exploration and patience, while presenting individual taste as something that develops through repeated encounters with art.
“Follow galleries that have an aesthetic you love and follow the artists themselves because they are constantly sharing other artists’ work and will help you continue to find other art that speaks to you.”
— Lauren Sands, LES Collection
Prices, Returns and Verification
The report does not give typical price ranges, explain how to assess a particular work’s market value or provide evidence that art purchases will appreciate. Its guidance to seek fair prices and originals through gallery platforms is attributed to the article’s account of those services; it does not detail how buyers can independently verify authenticity or compare prices across sellers.
It is also unclear from the supplied material what fees or terms apply to consultations, commissions or other services offered by LES Collection and Tappan Collective. Buyers considering a purchase would need to ask the artist or seller about the work’s materials, edition, condition, price, delivery and documentation. The report does not present the founders’ advice as financial advice or a guarantee of investment performance.
How New Collectors Can Begin
The founders’ suggested next steps are practical: visit galleries and art events, follow artists and galleries whose work interests you, and keep a record of what you learn and what draws your attention. When considering a purchase, ask questions about the work and save any accompanying literature or documents. If you want a piece made to suit a particular space or idea, ask the artist whether commissions are available and discuss the scope directly.
The report does not announce a new policy or upcoming event. Its central advice is ongoing rather than tied to a deadline: explore at your own pace, seek help if useful, and allow a collection and personal taste to develop over time.
Key Questions
Do you need a large budget to start collecting art?
The founders say collecting is open to people with different budgets. The report does not set a minimum price or provide a budget guide, so buyers should choose work and prices that fit their own circumstances.
Where can a new collector find art?
Sands suggests galleries, vacations, art fairs, markets, auction houses and Instagram. Neman Nassib recommends seeing as much work as possible to learn what you respond to.
Should a first purchase be treated as an investment?
The founders advise buying work for its personal meaning and the value it adds to daily life, not primarily to fill space. The report does not promise financial returns or offer investment forecasts.
What should buyers keep after purchasing art?
Neman Nassib advises saving literature supplied at the place or event where the work was bought to help preserve its provenance. Buyers can also ask the seller what documentation is available.
Can collectors commission an artist?
Yes, Sands recommends asking an artist whose work you like whether they accept commissions. The report does not specify standard costs, timelines or terms, which should be discussed directly with the artist.
Source: rss
