Naperville shop the 'Netflix of art galleries'
You want to embellish your home. The living room needs an impressive piece of art above the fireplace or maybe there's a prominent art niche in your hallway that needs filling.
But the economy is awful and it's not a good time to spend a lot of money. Or perhaps you are not accustomed to buying art and are nervous about making an expensive decision.
Artavo, a new Naperville gallery, sells and rents mostly hand-embellished limited edition prints. If you eventually decide you don't like a picture or just like variety in your life, you can return it with no obligation or exchange it. If you keep the same picture for 36 months, you will own it.
Paul and Yudith Lichter call their company, which has been open about six months, the Netflix of art galleries. While they admit the economic times are challenging, they say their business continues to grow.
They carry the work of about 14 artists with international reputations. These include Thomas Kinkade, Anna Razumovskaya, Robert Finale and S. Sam Park. The idea is the prints might increase in value as well as provide the owner with enjoyment.
The process starts with an original oil painting. A limited number of copies-from as few as 10 to perhaps hundreds or even thousands-are printed on canvas. Then the artist applies brush to the copy to add depth and texture. And he or she signs and numbers it.
As far as Paul Lichter knows, all of the artists except for Kinkade do their own hand embellishment.
"Most people don't know these are not original oils until we tell them," said Paul Lichter.
Leasing art is common for corporations, but only a few companies in different areas of the country rent to homeowners.
Debbie Venezia, executive director of the Naperville Art League, said as far as she knows, Artavo is the only area gallery that leases art. She likes the idea of bringing home a painting and living with it in your home, where it might look very different from it did in the gallery.
"I've brought art home for a specific spot and it's ended up somewhere else," said Venezia.
She also thinks the monthly payments might make art more affordable than buying it outright.
"A lot of people are afraid to purchase art," she said. "That said, if you look at a piece of art and it says something to you, buy it."
Artavo's prices range from $30 to $100 a month. The cost is similar to putting the painting on your credit card and paying it off in three years, said Lichter, so buying works outright is less expensive. About half the customers buy and half rent.
Most work at Artavo is colorful, and realistic paintings of landscapes and people dominate, although there are some abstracts and impressionist works.
"People want something they can enjoy looking at and envision themselves in-that they don't have to explain to someone what it is," said Paul Lichter.
Paul Lichter works in financial services while Yudith Lichter designs window treatments.
The couple has collected art in their home for about 12 years, starting with a piece by Thomas Kinkade. Paul Lichter says he can still find something wonderful in paintings he has owned 10 years.
"Picking the artists was the easiest part," he said. "We started with artists that we've had in my home for years. We look for the artists who were frankly at the top of their game, the ones everybody wants, who are winning awards, in solo exhibitions and in major galleries."
These are artists who sell originals for thousands of dollars, said Lichter. Buying the limited edition prints also offers the ability to choose from different sizes. The Lichters are also proud of their frames and will frame canvasses that clients already own.
"Art is so important because it is one of the finishing touches that make a house a home," said Yudith Lichter. "Once you get into this you get hooked. You need to have them all over your house. We have them in the bathroom."