1. Who is Equestrian Art International (EAI)?
EAI is a private limited company which was born out of the need to better promote and market the work of the best equestrian artists and satisfy the increasing demand for original contemporary equine art. In the twenty years since its inception, EAI has acquired a ‘stable’ of established internationally known equestrian artists including established luminaries such as Roy Miller SEA AAEA, and Martin Williams as well as discovering exciting new talents including Alasdair Banks, Rob Hefferan and Vineta Sayer MA.
EAI is focused solely on original equestrian art – horse racing, eventing, dressage, hunting and polo. It conducts exhibitions throughout the UK, the US, Middle and Far East and has to date sold original artworks to over 1500 clients across the globe through its exhibitions and ‘virtual gallery’ on the web.
2. Will I pay more for my artwork from EAI than from a conventional art gallery?
EAI does not operate like a conventional art gallery which normally has to support all the overheads associated with having gallery premises fixed in one location. Instead EAI by exhibiting at major equine sporting events takes the art to the enthusiast and collector or sells on-line through its virtual gallery at www.equestrianartuk.com. In so doing the prices for similar artworks can be up to two thirds less costly than an up market city gallery.
3. Do I pay more by purchasing art from EAI rather than directly from the artist?
EAI places no restrictions on the artists that it works with, with regard to exclusive agreements. There are none of the restrictive contracts between EAI and its artists that exist with many galleries and fine art dealers. As such the collector is free to purchase artworks directly from the artist. Because EAI has developed good relationships with our artists over time, EAI usually gets first refusal on new work, has an influence on new works undertaken and most importantly receives preferential discounts on the price of artworks purchased from its artists. The effect of this, is that it is rare that the price the customer will pay EAI for the artwork, will be more than the price asked by the artist.
4. Can I see the art before I buy?
EAI positively encourages this. We are delighted when a prospective customer wants to see a selection of work that he or she has seen in our virtual gallery. We are happy to put on a private viewing at his or her address and there is no obligation to purchase.
5. How do I know the painting is genuine (i.e. an original painted by the artist)?
A very good question! EAI sells only originals. Some artists have reciprocal marketing agreements to sell prints (copies) of their originals with other art dealers. Usually in the case of oils it is fairly obvious whether a painting is an original or a print. With watercolours it is less easy to tell especially when the painting is framed & glazed. EAI maintains a log of all genuine, original works by the artist sold by EAI and for a nominal fee can offer a certification process which provides hard copy evidence (provenance) for the painting purchased.
6. When I purchase a painting from EAI, what is included in the cost?
Apart from the painting itself, with the exception of box canvasses, the frame is also included in the cost together with all relevant taxes, with the exception of any applicable import duties and taxes. Paintings can be purchased unframed and an appropriate discount is applied when a customer wants to custom frame himself or herself. Shipping is included in the cost.
7. Can I change the frame?
Yes and usually at no cost or a nominal amount for reframing.
8. How can I pay for the artwork?
You can pay by internet banking, cheque or most major credit cards (including AMEX).
9. Will my art be an investment (ie appreciate over time)?
Another good question! We have found that people buy a particular painting because they like it or fall in love with it and in extreme cases cannot bear not to have it! At EAI we often feel the same way and sometimes find it difficult to part with a special painting! All we can say in answer to this question is that in the main, when you buy from us a painting by an artist with an established reputation, for example an artist with SEA (fellow of the Society of Equestrian Artists of Great Britain) or AAEA (member of the American Academy of Equine Art) after their name, then works by these artists continue to command good prices at reputable art auctions. They are the ‘blue chip’ stock equivalent. The ‘new kids on the block’ are more speculative. Their paintings are the equivalent of the tech stocks. Some will rise spectacularly in value in the future, but some may fail to make the grade. In the specific case of Alasdair Banks for example, when we first discovered Alasdair’s work it could be purchased for less than 100 GBPS. Today, Alasdair’s work sells from anything between a few hundred pounds and many thousand pounds. Vineta Sayer is another case in point, where her work in all media represents a talent beyond her years, and continues to appreciate in value by 10 per cent annually on average. To sum up, art is bought for art’s sake, not just as an investment.