By Moshe Frank, Leviim Jewish Art Gallery

Why you should buy original paintings?

When you buy original paintings, you are really just borrowing it.

Because, if you buy well, you can sell it for the price you bought it or if you are lucky, much more.

When you buy a print, it’s very decorative and inexpensive, but like new car, loses value as soon as it leaves the store.

Like a car, spend the extra money on a better one, and the value is much greater.

On rare occasions, limited print editions can go up on value. Those are usually artists who focus is on prints with a element of handwork to each print, like Yaakov Agam or Charles Fazzino.

We had customer walk in a few weeks ago with two Itzak Holtz oil paintings. He received a handsome profit on them,  twenty years after he purchased them.

We also had someone call us with twenty framed prints from his grandparents inheritance, and we paid five dollars for each of them.

The takeaway is, think long term and buy original. (You definitely get more bragging rights with a original painting)