Renting collectibles sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s not.
Renting art can be a sensible alternative to buying. Perfect for when you can’t decide between a striking red square of oil paint and a stark still life of sunflowers to brighten up your new living room.
In today’s world, it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to be willing to commit to long-term additions to their home, and that’s not necessarily bad.
Switching up the art work from season to season or year to year keeps living spaces fresh and exciting. It also encourages new art enthusiasts to explore their taste in artwork more freely.
Buying can creatively limit shoppers who could get stuck with a piece of art they don’t love, be it two or 20 years down the road.
My mother just got rid of most of her art pieces from the 1980s, a beige – once green – poster with swans and cattails among them. It’s not my first choice, but it’s fine and it’s free.
The good news is renting art is a realistic option for people like me, living on a tight budget.
The swans currently adorning my living room wall could very well be replaced by a black and white insect print for only $30 a month. The next month, maybe I’ll try a landscape of birch trees for $38.
Most rental programs offer a minimum time to rent art, about three months, and a maximum of six months. The cost is usually under five percent of the retail value of the piece per month which winds up costing the renter a monthly $15 to $150.
If a renter decides they really love a piece, they can generally get that three to six months’ rent deducted from the final cost.
The artists still make a profit off renting, and it does not necessarily devalue a piece to rent it. A piece can be displayed in a home or business, generate some revenue for the artist and then be sold some time down the road.
Renting also provides a way for art enthusiasts to support local artists.
Collectibles is a new exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery that features affordable local art. Around 30 per cent of the pieces will be available for rent when the show is over.
In the meantime, all of the gallery’s regular collection can be rented year round.
Art is adaptable and inclusive by nature, and showcasing it should be too. Art galleries change their exhibits from season to season, so why can’t you?