Art is very personal as others have stated. So many factors; how much do you want to spend, what type of art, what artists, do you want oils, etchings, lithographs, posters, etc. I can't answer those questions for you and when you do, then you can begin your journey.
Before I was married, the only things that went on my walls were posters...no original art, no etchings, no prints, just posters. The posters were all about the message not the art. After I was married, my wife and I were strolling along a popular shopping street and we walked into a gallery at random. We started looking at the art on the walls. Yes, I had been to Europe, I had been to all the museums as a young man, but as I tell my sons today when we travel to Europe and they ask me if I had noticed and appreciated the beauty of the architecture and art before... I tell them I was paying more attention to the European women. It took time to cultivate my appreciation for art.
Back to the story; the gallery had a special exhibit featuring Barbizon artists. The Barbizon artists were pre-impressionism and it was an art movement that focused on realism. Some of the important Barbizon artists were Jules Dupre, Charles-François Daubigny, Constant Troyon, Charles Jacque, and Narcisse Virgilio Díaz. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Barbizon artists were known but were not as highly sought after as impressionists were at the time and the prices were very affordable. Did I buy any art directly from the gallery... no. I sought out local and national art auctions picking up pieces inexpensively.
I continued going back to the gallery as I got along with the owner and he became a mentor. The owner's speciality was Rembrandt etchings which, at the time, I was unaware that Rembrandt had done etchings. Rembrandt etchings depending on whether they were lifetime or done posthumously varied dramatically in price. I became fascinated by Rembrandt's ability to use lines to convey light and dark. I was mesmerized. My early focus was on Barbizon artists and Rembrandt etchings which I could afford. I expanded my interests over time to other artists who explored the print medium.
