How to Buy Art on eBay

By Emily Hsieh
March 10, 2010

As the Associate Director of New York City-based fine art print publisher and gallery Pace Prints, Kristina Sumption Bell spends her days fully ensconced in limited-edition, museum-quality—and not surprisingly, big ticket—fine art by leading contemporary artists like Chuck Close and Ryan McGinness. But for those of us who lack the funds to drop thousands on a single piece, Bell says, “Even if you don’t have $10,000 to spend on a print, there are some really great, inexpensive reproductions out there out there that you can frame to get the same look.”

We challenged Bell to take a lap around eBay to choose her favorites, requesting that most items ring in under $100. To get to the good stuff, at least as far as wall art is concerned, Bell says she starts by winnowing the thousands of options on eBay: “I refine the search first by selecting ‘Art from dealers and resellers’ to avoid getting things like books and postcards in my results.” She also suggests that shoppers not be deterred by the poster versions of paintings or drawings they’ve admired by famous artists— even if there’s text on the bottom of the print, you can always chop off the edges of the paper to focus on the art. Vintage posters are often particularly good finds: “Posters these days are often done on glossy, flimsy paper,” she says, “But a lot of the ones from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were done on thicker, matte paper which makes them look more like fine print.”

In terms of keywords, Bell suggests searching by artist (as a modernist, she’s drawn to graphic pieces by the likes of Frank Stella, Jennifer Bartlett, and Josef Albers), and/or by typing in the names of the leading poster purveyors like Galerie Maeght and Lincoln Center. That said, no-name old world maps and botanical drawings make Bell’s cut too—and in those cases, it’s good to use keywords based on your interests (which for her are as divergent as artichokes and the city of London). But more than anything else, Bell recommends following your instincts: “Buy what you love. I would never advise someone to purchase a piece as an investment. And don’t worry too much about matching the colors exactly to every last throw pillow in your home.”

1. Bridget Riley Movement In Squares Op Art Print (buy it now price, $49.99) “I love Bridget Riley’s work, especially her black and white stuff. It’s so graphic."

2. Frank Stella vintage 1967 "Tomlinson Court Park" (buy it now price, $49.99) “These are reproductions of screen prints that we’ve had [at Pace Prints]. I found two that would make a nice little pair.”

3. Vik Muniz Peter Norton Limited Edition X-Mas Sculpture (buy it now price, $650) “I don’t even smoke, but I was drawn to this Vik Muniz ashtray. It’s hard to tell from the photograph, but the cigarette butt is part of the piece.”

4. Josef Albers Study for Homage to Square Beaming (buy it now price, $17.10) “I really like Albers because his work is minimal, but there’s some color to it as well. His work is very accessible; it doesn’t fight with anything, so it goes with any kind of décor. Very classic, very elegant.”

5. Roy Lichtenstein Merton of the Movies 1968 Poster (buy it now price, $299.99) “Such a cool poster—it has a bit of foil on it, so it’s not just ink on paper. It’s very Lichtenstein in its colors and patterns.”

6. Basilius Besler Botanical Print Artichoke (buy it now price, $18.95) “I love artichokes. This would be a great print for a kitchen.”

7. Ferrari Citrus Engraving (current bid, $15.50) “My mom has a series of these lemon prints at home. They’re really cool—kind of surreal but from the 1600’s. The text and garland feel a bit funky, and the colors are really interesting.”

8. Vintage Map Poster Print (buy it now price, $55.99) “This would look great over a sofa. The different panels would look really nice framed separately.”

Emily Hsieh is a freelance writer and editor in New York City who has contributed to publications including Lucky, Allure, InStyle, and People.

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