It was an increasing demand for artwork that prompted the owners of the Church Gallery to look for a larger space in 2005.
It was an increasing demand for artwork that prompted the owners of the Church Gallery to look for a larger space in 2005.
Gallery owner Helen Morgan decided to renovate a 1920s building in Northbridge, which opened to the public about two months ago, and provides more hanging and storage space.
Ms Morgan is not the only one who thinks Perth’s appetite for art is on the increase.
Sydney’s United Galleries has chosen Perth as the city to open its second gallery, tapping into the state’s booming economy and, according to gallery director Robert Buratti, a more adventurous population.
“I think people are a lot more open minded and receptive to new ideas in Western Australia,’ Mr Buratti said.
Mr Buratti, who has relocated from Sydney to develop the gallery’s Northbridge business, said Melbourne’s art investors were a “closed shop”.
“They collect in a certain way and they are not as open to new ideas and new artists,” he said.
Mr Buratti said he had noticed growth in the number of people who had started collecting art.
“Many years ago it was something just for the rich, but people are realising they don’t need $1 million to do it, they can start off with $500,” he said.
But not everyone in the industry believes the wealth generated by the good economic times is flowing through to art purchases.
Norah Ohrt has operated Perth Galleries for 19 years and said a lot of the cash being generated from the boom was being spent on fancy cars, boats and big houses.
“They’re not buying art,” Ms Ohrt said. “I would like to think that will change.”
Galerie Dusseldorf is one of WA’s oldest contemporary private galleries, and director Doug Sheerer said he expected bigger demand for contemporary art and emerging artists during this period of economic strength.
“The cultural area is not benefiting at all,” Mr Sheerer said.
“The safe money seems to be going into blue-chip auction stuff, which just gets bought and sold.”
Gallery East director David Forrest expects demand for artwork to increase on the back of growth in the secondary, or auction, market.
“The boom in the art world has been in the secondary market,” Mr Forrest said.
“Records are being broken at auction and that enhances people’s confidence in the art market, and in that sense people may start to take the plunge.”
Mr Forrest said last year had been one of the gallery’s quietest since it established in 1991 but business had “picked up and this year has been quite good”.
While many galleries think business should be better, there are signs that more people are willing to invest in paintings and sculptures.
Sentinel Stockbroking chief executive Norman Robinson said some of his clients had recently cashed in their winnings in the stockmarket to invest in art.
“You never used to hear it but now people are telling us that they want to sell their shares because they want to buy some art,” Mr Robinson told Business Class.
Turner Galleries manager and curator Alison Archer said the former Church Gallery, which opened in 1999, had experienced growing demand in the past few years, which forced the gallery to find a bigger venue.
“We outgrew the space,” Ms Archer said. “We were selling more work and we had to be able to store more work and we really ran out of room.”
Ms Archer added that more people were becoming aware of buying art as an investment, and the gallery was receiving more enquires by people wanting to buy art for their superannuation fund.
Ms Ohrt said a trend emerging in recent times was that more money was being spent on adventurous purchases.
“They used to feel safe with landscape and figurative, but there is some bravery and people are going into abstract and modern works,” Ms Ohrt said.
