Interview with Vera Bertran, Contemporary Art Collectors
Vera Bertran
is an Art Advisor and Founder of Contemporary Art Collectors. Her colourful and beautifully curated Instagram pages inspire thousands of followers. She is a multifaceted art lover, carrying her interest onto the business side of art and often interviewing art collectors and artists. Vera Bertran was included at Top 200 Art World Influencers by TheArtGorgeous Magazines. (ranked #14).
Websites
http://www.verabertran.com
https://www.contemporary-art-collectors.com
Social Media
@vera_bertran
@contemporaryartcollectors
INTERVIEW WITH VERA BERTRAN, founder of Contemporary Art Collectors
by Ty Bishop
TB: To start, can you tell me a little about your background. How did you get into art?
VB: My parents collected antiques, so from an early age, I was surrounded by art. We also have an extensive library of art books in our house. From when I was young, I loved going to museums, visiting art exhibitions, looking at art books, and going to antique shops with my parents.
In the end, I understand that I enjoy contemporary art, most of and after I finished school, I went to study Art History and Fine Arts in London. After completing graduating, I also studied Art Business at Sotheby's Institute of Art.
During studying at university, I first began advising some of my parent’s friends, who were modern and antique art collectors and were looking to start acquiring a collection of contemporary art.
TB: Was there a particular artist or work that sparked your passion for contemporary art?
VB: It was when studied at school, I was visiting London, and in Tate Britain saw Peter Doig's retrospective.
It was completely different from what I saw before. Mysterious landscapes with intense colour palette, leaving you somewhere between dream and reality in the atmosphere of the fourth dimension. It gave the feeling of "This is a place I know, but not quite the place I know".
That time exhibition really impressed me, and since then started my interest in contemporary art.
TB: What was your inspiration for starting Contemporary Art Collectors?
VB: In 2017 I created an Instagram page, @contemporaryartcollectors, to share the art I liked. The page started multiplying, and I began receiving a lot of DM from followers writing that my page inspired them and collectors that discovered many new artists they haven't seen before.
It inspired me to set up an art and culture platform that focuses on contemporary art collecting. At the end of 2020, I decided to launch the Emerging Artist Programme to discover the most exciting emergent artists worldwide.
Every day I receive hundreds of emails and submissions from artists worldwide, all seeking exposure for their works. I believe it is essential to uncover these hidden creative gems and give them a platform to showcase their works.
Artists have historically struggled to get their work showcased in galleries, in addition to having a lack of professional industry guidance to help push their careers forward.
TB: Where should a beginning collector start? What things do they need to consider?
VB: It would be best if you started with the research.
Research isn't necessarily easy when it comes to contemporary art. When googling an artist or a style of art, usually the most popular and most expensive work appears at the top of the page – not the most useful for someone who is starting their art collection.
The best place to start is social media. Instagram, for example, is an excellent platform for discovering emerging artists and learn about an artist's process, seeing when they are hosting events and exhibitions and finding out about new artworks.
You can also discover new talent by following contemporary galleries, attending their events in person and checking their online viewing rooms.
Follow art influencers, art fairs, collectors and art pages.
Furthermore, you can also subscribe to galleries' newsletters, buy art books, and generally brush up on your knowledge of different art styles, mediums and techniques.
Immersing yourself fully in the art world and doing your research is essential in defining and determining your tastes to know what stimulates and inspires you personally.
TB: How does the relationship work between an artist and a collectors platform such as yourself?
VB: When we post art, we always include the artists Instagram account, so we create direct communication between collectors and artists.
TB: An emerging artists online presence has become more important over the last several years. What advice do you have for artists as they manage their studio practice with social media?
VB: Nowadays, the artist can expose and sell their works without galleries. Many artists become famous because of social media.
Buyers, collectors and people who love art use Instagram to find out new names.And it's essential to represent yourself in social media correctly.
It would be best if you do it professionally, make a separate Instagram only for your art, try not to mix your too personal / family pictures with your artworks.I often check artists on social media, and many artists ask me to look at their profile.
I don't want to scroll between pictures of kids and cats; I am not interested to see it, and believe me, any art collectors or buyer does. It's essential to have an Instagram account dedicated to your art.I also noticed that some artists post poor quality photos of their art.
Some are blurred and with lousy lightning changing the colours. I would suggest buying professional lighting and a good camera or phone to take qualitative pictures.
Try not only to post pictures of your art, as it looks repetitive. Mix work in process, videos and pictures of you making art, your studio, sketches, etc. Social media can help your art business, giving you access to wider audiences and increase sales.
Remember, If you do something, try to do it as best as you can.
TB: What are you most proud about Contemporary Art Collectors?
VB: I am happy that CAC has become a platform for artists to display artworks in front of 100's of thousands of people who love art, including collectors and gallery owners worldwide.
My primary aim with the platform is to give talent a chance to gain maximum exposure and be discovered.
TB: Are there any new projects you're working on that you can share?
VB: My main project is the Contemporary Art Collectors Art Book, published at the end of 2021. I chose the medium of print because I'm a big fan of art books and currently own a small library in my house.
I believe many like-minded people love art books, and I firmly believe this format will never die.