Large and small corporations are still collecting art but it is not always easy for an artist to make sales in this market. The collections of medium to small corporations may vary importantly but usually can not focus on major classical acquisitions.
Contemporary artists have a real possibility to sell to some small and medium sized corporations that specialize in contemporary artists. These businesses want more than decor, they can afford and prefer real art for their offices and buildings. Most corporations know that they can collect local, regional, possibly international artists with some level of recognition at reasonable prices.
Finding the companies that collect is a necessary first step. Then determining what types of art their collection may consist of is the next step. Most corporate collections are managed and publicized within the company as well as in the media for public relations reasons.
Most corporations that collect are working with guidelines that are formulated by the CEO or an executive or administrative committee. These guidelines may even dictate that the accepted art follow content related to the company's products or services.
For example, some pharmaceutical companies collect on themes related to health or medical sciences. Food companies may prefer festive or cuisine-related artworks. CEOs can take the advice of a committee or of one officer appointed to do the necessary research and negotiations to buy art.
Some corporations specialize is one genre or one or two media. Some companies only collect from a particular geographic locale or from one particular organization of artists or dealers. Finding out what is grouped by a corporation begins with reaching a contact person. Then you can try to make a presentation or build a rapport for further negotiation. Of course if you find out that the collection is only involved in buying watercolors and only produce oil paintings, then your best bet is to ask for further contacts that might be known in other collecting corporations.
The process of finding which collections are potential buyers of your work may take some time and work. But if you persist you can narrow down the possibilities. You may even persuade a company to begin collecting, or to work with someone who already likes your art work to begin the collection.