Reproductions or original art?

[Martinus]

So I am considering getting some art for my flat, but obviously can't afford better known ones, so the question is - should I get reproductions of art I like or is it lame and I should try to find original art within my price range? What's your view on this, in particular on having reproductions on your walls?

[Valmy]

I find nothing wrong with having reproductions hanging. The reaction I usually get is 'oh I love that painting' if I get one at all.

[Martinus]

That's good to hear. I like some stuff by, say, Dali or Alphonse Mucha and I think it would work well with my decor but I was afraid of "how lame" reactions.

[Eddie Teach]

Anyone who says reproductions are lame is being pretentious.

[Syt]

For my new apartment I went with Kandinsky. There's plenty online shops that sell high quality prints.

[Monoriu]

My white walls are so beautiful that no decoration is necessary.

[Martinus]

For my new apartment I went with Kandinsky. There's plenty online shops that sell high quality prints.

Could you recommend any that you have used and turned out fine?

[Martinus]

My white walls are so beautiful that no decoration is necessary.

White walls... *shudders*

[Syt]

For my new apartment I went with Kandinsky. There's plenty online shops that sell high quality prints.

Could you recommend any that you have used and turned out fine?

I went with Kunst Für Alle: http://www.kunst-fuer-alle.de/ and am happy with the delivered products.

Allposters seems to be widely popular: http://www.allposters.com/ They also have various framing options.

[Caliga]

At my new house, the only stuff I have hanging on my walls so far is a framed WWII propaganda poster (Uncle Sam pointing at the viewer and demanding "I want YOU for a war job!") and a portrait of my great-great grandfather in his military school uniform, circa 1880.

[Caliga]

Ok, I got the wording slightly wrong... it's this poster:



I also have a 'loose lips sink ships' one with a drowned sailor washed up on a beach, but haven't gotten around to hanging it yet.

[Tonitrus]

Find/support those lesser-known starving artists whose style you like.  They might be Picasso's someday!

[DontSayBanana]

Some repros here, but mostly I just seek out artists I find interesting.  So I'm more likely to leave a convention's artist's alley with some prints by someone I found interesting than I am to pick up, say, a Roy Lichtenstein repro (although I considered picking one up last time I saw one at IKEA).

[celedhring]

I go with a mix of popular and pretentious movie posters.

[Barrister]

Just one man's opinion:

I don't really love getting prints of really famous artists.  Stuff like Dali, or Kandinsky, that most people would know immediately is a reproduction or a famous artist.  My concern is that it says "I have no taste of my own, so I just got copies of what is popular".

In any city there are plenty of living artists who are locally famous, but not reaching exorbitant prices.

In my case at home we have several numbered prints from Yukon artists (Haven't bought any since coming to Edmonton).  They're limited reproductions - only 200, or 500, or whatever are made.  Marty you've almost certainly got my disposable income than I do, so you could afford originals from living artists.  Go and check out some local Warsaw galleries and see if there's anything you like.

If nothing else, doing it this way means you're supporting living, breathing artists, and not just the talentless heirs of long-dead artists.