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From the Bello team

Notes on collecting and the marketplace.

Latest story

What a condition report actually protects you from

2 min read

“A condition report photographed on the day a work ships sounds like paperwork. In a dispute, it's the only thing standing between 'he said, she said' and an actual resolution.”

Impasto, and why some paintings are never touched up in the studio

Thick, textural paint applied outdoors in a single session leaves a record of exactly how it was made.

1 min read

Starting a collection with a budget under $2,000

A practical look at starting a collection with a budget under $2,000 — one of the more common questions new collectors run into.

1 min read

What an insurance claim on a damaged artwork actually requires

What an insurance claim on a damaged artwork actually requires — the logistics side of collecting that rarely gets discussed until something goes wrong.

1 min read

Behind the work: "Tow"

A hull being taken upriver at dusk, painted from the estuary at the end of the studio street. A closer look at how Sigrid Lunde built the piece, and what it's actually made of.

1 min read

Unpacking a painting without panicking over nothing

Unpacking a painting without panicking over nothing — the logistics side of collecting that rarely gets discussed until something goes wrong.

1 min read

Behind the work: "Late Harvest"

One session, outdoors, finished before the light went. Nothing was touched afterwards in the studio. A closer look at how Joris Maes built the piece, and what it's actually made of.

1 min read

Customs and international shipping, without the surprises

Customs and international shipping, without the surprises — the logistics side of collecting that rarely gets discussed until something goes wrong.

1 min read

Digital collecting: what you own when you buy a file

A practical look at digital collecting: what you own when you buy a file — one of the more common questions new collectors run into.

1 min read

Behind the work: "Orchard, Late"

Worked wet-into-wet over four months, so the surface reads as one continuous field rather than a set of marks. A closer look at how Camille Rouet built the piece, and what it's actually made of.

1 min read

Behind the work: "The Vantage"

One viewpoint, returned to across a year. The figure was the last thing added and the only thing painted from life. A closer look at how Joris Maes built the piece, and what it's actually made of.

1 min read

What does '1 of 1' actually guarantee?

The strongest scarcity claim a listing can make, and how it's verified.

1 min read

Watercolor's transparency, and why it needs different glazing

The same quality that makes watercolor luminous is exactly what makes it fragile under the wrong light.