Art that Men Love to Collect

by Miriam Schulman
Here are my best selling art that men buy for themselves and women buy for their husbands as presents for birthdays, father's day, and anniversaries. Although I am sure that men buy all kinds of art from other artists, these are the art that I have found they love to buy from me!

  1. Landscapes, Landscapes, Landscapes. This week I sold three paintings for father's day---all landscapes. A husband's favorite diner became the subject for a street scene commission. Another wife who came up dry for father's day thought of my Tuscany painting for her husband who loves Italy and a third woman "scoured the internet" for paintings depicting Lee, Massachusetts where they own a second home. At my art shows, men usually also are drawn to landscapes.
  2. Nudes. Yes, of course because, well you know-- they are beautiful and sexy and sensual and who doesn't appreciate a fine art nude? Men usually choose figures that remind them of their lovers past and present and women will usually choose female nudes that remind them of themselves. So you will find the zaftig dark haired brunette buying the painting of a Rubenesque model for her husband. Men who buy female nudes tend to like either large abstract nudes for the more public areas of their home or small intimate watercolors for the little private spaces in their home.
  3. Portraits of their Children Many men have commissioned me to paint their children as a surprise birthday presents for heir wives. The nicest ones need a lot of help figuring out how to mange the secret and the logistics of a portrait sitting behind the mom's back but it is always worth it. Men are always thrilled to receive paintings of their children for gifts as well.
  4. Fish  Koi fish are very popular with my male clients. The koi fish paintings are abstract enough to feel contemporary and modern yet they seem to enjoy the representational quality. Dentists know that aquariums calm down their patients and many people like to decorate with paintings of fish for the same reason. "Koi" is also a homophone in Japanese standing for love or friendship so this is also a popular wedding gift. 
  5. Birds and Wildlife This is a pretty broad category, buy men do love to buy paintings of birds and other wildlife. They also love buying pet portraits of their dogs, usually as a gift for a friend, wife.
    Present Unveiled at 50th Birthday Party

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