Many collectors of art are often looked upon as belonging to a very elite group — super-wealthy, well-connected, highly successful individuals. These collectors have made their “bucks” (millions) on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley, and they have the financial means to acquire a Picasso or a Koons or a Hirst without a second thought as to their bank balance. Of course, these individuals do exist. However, they are in the minority. Like most views of our world the image of art collector as “international jet-setting fashionista, yacht-owning playboy (or girl) or geeky IPO-gazillionaire” is not the norm.

Most art is collected by ordinary people; people like your and me, with ordinary day jobs, good kids at school and not insignificant mortgages on their homes. So while you may not be able to afford the $75 million tag for a “re-discovered” Monet at auction, you may be able to find a beautiful original oil painting at a fraction of a fraction of this cost. Or, if original canvases are beyond your means, you can find affordable drawings or limited edition prints and lithographs. You can find gorgeous new work made by artists who live and work near you — what could be better than discovering real, local art.

Collecting art is much more about vision and passion than it is about wealth. Herb and Dorothy Vogel lead the way in this respect. They are the epitome of “ordinary” art collectors. I say “ordinary” because they really are far from ordinary. Over many years they built one of the world’s leading collections of contemporary conceptual and minimalist art, and all on the salary of a postal clerk and librarian. Luckily for us, they have since made most of their extraordinary collection available to all.

Simon de Pury, chairman of Phillips de Pury, a global auction house echoes this sentiment below; quite rightly asserting that wealth is no substitute for vision and passion. You can even start collecting original art from our beautiful blue art-o-mat machine (for a mere $5). Happy collecting!