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Collecting artworks on paper

Lithographs, silkscreens, drawings, woodcuts. Everything you need to know.

Written by
Chiara
Published
October 15, 2022

Collecting works on paper: reading these few words could seem strange, if we think of a classic used to buy works of art with high price range.

However, if you know us a little bit, you'll know that Onstream Gallery is not about collectors as we're used to thinking of them: middle-aged men with particularly inviting wallets.

The collectors on Onstream Gallery are anyone who loves art, but feels they don't have the tools, or are unable, to understand it.

Don't worry: we don't explain it to you, we just throw you in with us.

But what were we saying?

Ah yes: collecting artworks of art on paper.

It could almost seem like a second choice, if we think of the collecting to which the big auction houses have accustomed us in recent decades.

Yet, collecting artwork on paper, in these years we are living, is the coolest thing we can decide to do.

Why?

Let's go in order.

If we hang out a bit on the web and we are lovers of great contemporary artists, both those who have made history and those who today can boast a fair amount of experience in the field, we know that their works of art are easily accessible if they are on paper.

Lithographs, serigraphs, drawings, woodcuts can be an inviting alternative, even for those with a small wallet.

Andy Warhol serigraph print

I

n this case, collecting works of art on paper might actually seem like a second choice. There's nothing wrong with that, let's be clear, but often in these cases there's a little voice in your head that says: these works on paper are definitely more affordable, there's definitely a better version of what I'm buying.

The positive thing we can say to this little voice in our head however, is that works of art on paper are works of art, and while economic value is important, the collector's heart goes where the voice of the artist calls, not where the artist creates.

If we've convinced you with the story of the artist's voice - in which we firmly believe, so much so that many of our artists also work on these media - we'd like to delve even deeper into what it means today to start a collection that also includes the paper medium.

First of all, buying artwork on paper means making an easier choice.

We know this perfectly well: no matter how much we love a particular artist and what he does, buying a canvas or a small sculpture of his is not the same as buying a print or a drawing.

Price obviously has something to do with it, but it goes beyond that: having a virtually two-dimensional stand that you can hang on a wall is more convenient anyway.

In Marrakech - Sonia Bensouda

Collecting works of art on paper, however, is also a matter of completeness.

What does it mean?
Let's think about our WAØ, a young artist who had the burden and the honour of appearing first in our Gallery.

WARØ likes to experiment with different mediums and loves to investigate the relationship that his subjects, immediately recognizable even to the less attentive, interact with the medium they belong to.

It is no coincidence that WARØ himself chose the paper medium for Race Car, a limited edition 50-piece silkscreen print by the artist.

Race Car - Waro

WARØ continues to experiment and study, opening before him countless interesting scenarios that have taken him overseas, to Miami, for a respectable collection.

Experimenting and researching is a respectable activity, which in older artists can turn into versatility.

We are talking about Bruno Cerasi: the artist with whom we created Are we all Connected? And who stands out for the application of his art on many supports.

To stay in the theme of this article, it is impossible not to mention his drawings, exclusively in the Gallery, and his iconic Airpaintings.

In his case, we are not dealing with serigraphs or digital collages - don't worry, we will talk about it soon! - but of real paper supports that carry the direct action of the artist.

If you love geometry and the way lines and points intersect in space, this is the artist for you.

Collecting works of art on paper, therefore, is not anyone's second choice, but the conscious choice of those who love to explore all sides of art.

We have been exploring them for some time and this is precisely why our artists do not look alike, but rather complement each other: and what could be more beautiful than a gear that works?

Air Paintings II - Bruno Cerasi

If you love geometry and the way lines and points intersect in space, this is the artist for you.

Collecting works of art on paper then, is not anyone's second choice, but the conscious choice of those who like to explore all sides of art.

We have been exploring them for some time, and that is precisely why our artists do not look alike, but rather complement each other: and what could be more beautiful than a gear that works?

Enter the world of collecting with our personalized advice
We can help you choose your first (or next) work of art.