Interest is high, that’s Amor

Tuesday, 28 August, 2001 - 22:00
AN exhibition of recent works by Australian artist Rick Amor has already attracted considerable interest among collectors.

The commercial exhibition, which has been brought to Perth by Niagara Galleries in Melbourne and the Holmes a Court Gallery, is open to the public from August 30 to September 9.

Three of the works have been sold ahead of the launch of the exhibition – an indication of the considerable interest in collecting contemporary Australian art.

Holmes a Court Gallery manager Anne Meredith said the gallery had a commercial exhibition once a year, usually in consultation with commercial galleries in the eastern states.

“It (Rick Amor’s work) seems to be highly collected in the eastern states and the mood of the work is very popular,” Ms Meredith said.

“They are very much urban landscapes and there’s a number of things he’ll investigate over and over. He often looks at cloud forms.”

The cost of the works range from $6,600 for the Self Portrait with an African Mask to $38,000 for the Window, a cool urban landscape with ghostly human figures and the familiar shiny orange public phone booths.

“I expect it to sell very quickly, especially as now you can collect art as part of a superannuation package,” Ms Meredith said.

AustAsia Group director Simon Chesson said including art as part of a superannuation fund was quite common for people who already had an interest in collectibles like art and antiques.

“Antiques and collectibles might be part of an investment strategy with a view that it (the object or work) might triple in value in 10 years,” he said.

“As long as it’s part of an investment strategy and it’s shown that there is a benefit for the future.”

“It comes down to two or three things.

“The person in the fund has got to have enough in the fund because art is not an income-producing asset, it’s like buying a block of vacant land.”

Industry analysts recommend investors look at high quality works by well-known artists rather than taking a chance with lesser-known names.

As a rule of thumb it’s better to spend $100,000 on a highly sought after piece than buying a number of cheaper works.