COLLECTING ART
_This article was first published in the COVA Open Studio catalog for 2001. You can find more articles written by Patricia Frischer on the San Diego Visual
Arts Network SmART Collector . Ms. Frischer is coordinator of this
site which is a directory and events calendar for the San Diego Region. www.SDVisualArts.net
NEW COLLECTORS
An art collector has the ability to select a work of art and get an emotional or intellectual kick from that work. The collector has to own the work, not just observe it. The collector compiles works of art and describes why they all belong together. He or she makes order from the chaos of their buying. To do this a collector decides to give time and money. But more than all of the above, the collector has the conviction that the collection is "meaningful, justified, even requisite to the improvement of mankind." The first-time buyer of an artwork is dipping a toe into this fascinating and compelling world.
The art markets have the role of transforming an object into an artwork which is isolated and valued. The art market can define art at a particular moment in history. But the buyer can challenge attitudes to art. A collection is great when it opens our eyes to a world around us that is complex, unpredictable and rich.
Noah was perhaps the first collector. He collected to save the world. The Roman Empire was a collection of countries for power and dominance. What then are the benefits of collecting for modern mankind? A collection of art can create an alternate universe. Where in real life the collector can feel trapped, alien, alone, the collection can create an atmosphere of escape where things are familiar and comforting like belonging to a club. Jim Dax of Coldwell Banker in San Diego buys works to which he can perennially relate. His extensive collection of California impressionist paintings contains landscape scenes with which he is familiar. He uses his art to draw himself out of himself and chooses work not for the money involved, but because of his passion for the art itself. When the real world is constantly changing, uncertain and uncontrollable, a collection can give a sense of stability and control. Mark Lugo is building a collection of mini masterpieces and feels he owns a cultural treasure that will one day be passed on for the enjoyment of society as a whole. As Visual Arts Event Coordinator at the Earl and Birdie Taylor Library in Pacific Beach, his job allows him to "get inside the artist's head in a meaningful and profound way." He often discovers that artists are more multifaceted than he suspected as they reveal preliminary drawings and secret series of work. Whereas reality is transient, a collection is permanent and can even create a safe port which soothes and reassures. When life is boring and passive, the collecting can create an active and rewarding activity.
Collections can be started simply from the need to fill blank walls. The first work purchased might be by an artist who intrigues the collector. After this small beginning, the reasons for collecting start to reveal themselves. A very small financial outlay can create a very large aesthetic currency. The works soon become good friends who surround you with love and care. Art like love is "fulfilling, stimulating and rewarding and demands to be shared." There are buyers who collect as a nesting instinct, as a reflection and continuation of their interests and hobbies, as an investment, as a tax deduction, as a "My art can beat up your art" competition, as an escape into a different community of people who care about different things, as a substitute for family or friends, as a way to become more socially acceptable, as legacy for one's heirs, as a way to establish their place in history, and even as a whim or an uncontrollable passion.
Ellen Phelan, is an art educator and activist who has an extensive and important collection. She believes that, "Any person can collect works of art which will always add to the pleasures and enrichments of daily living. I don't buy things, but things do accumulate. The only thing I do collect, is art." She has made and encourages others to make a commitment at a level one can afford and to buy art regularly. She agrees with mainline thinking that regional art is the next important area of collecting and San Diego has enough good regional art to be taken seriously.
Doug Simay, co-founder of Arts College International, has played a large part in the health of the social community of our local artists. He, like Mark Lugo, believes that there is art in San Diego of a very high quality. "There are art masters that live in our neighborhood...in 45 years my collection will take my breath away." He buys the best pieces of art available and "...sometimes that means having to stretch a wee bit over what I thought I could afford."
For Armin Callo art collecting has been an educational process for self-improvement. His mother gave him permission to buy his first masterpiece and set him free. With each new acquisitions he begins a journey, researching the artist, style, period. He sold one of his works to help pay for law school and got all the pleasure of owning and researching the art and then the bonus of having the work help him at a time of need. Compare this to Martin Slattery, whose widow Claire says that Martin a very interesting man. It was his firm belief that the gathering and enjoyment of paintings and objects played a large part in making him interesting. He liked things that were old and had character and a story and didn't mind if they were less than perfect.There seem to be as many reasons to collect as strokes of paint on a Monet.
Walter Pomeroy tries hard to meet all the artist whose work he has collected. His collection is 90% local art. He wants to see the artist's point of view and often collects one work from each of a continuing series by the artist. His social life has been greatly expanded by this contact with artists and he regrets little that he has bought, rather those things he didn't buy. Walter's tip for new collectors with limited funds is to ask the artist to do a piece which is affordable or hunt one out of his or her collection. A surprising number of artists are open to the barter system and will exchange work for everything from computer time to a koi pond. Bargains can sometimes be found at art auctions and artists do have fire sales in their studios to help move older work to make room for the new. Many galleries and artists will arrange layaway plans for when you fall in love with a piece and want to pay for it over time. Debby and Larry Kline encourage us to buy works from art students: "This can make the difference between that student staying in the arts or giving up." And the Klines buy art for each other as gifts instead of chocolates or flowers for many occasions. In fact, they now realize that gifts have been purchased through to Hanukkah 2004.
Another art-collecting couple in our community is Debra and Larry Poteet. They have built their collection mainly through art dealers, one of which was a mentor to them when they started collecting in their early 30's. The personnel in a reputable gallery can make a huge difference. Larry says, "They should have a passion for art and not just a passion for money." The Poteets had no art background and are self-educated in the arts. Their business fields are law and investments but art has opened up a whole other side to their lives and they count those in the art community as their most interesting friends. Where Debra is drawn to figurative work with a compelling personal message, rich and mystical, Larry looks for work which is edgy and slaps you in the face with commentary or symbolism. They have him, her and us pieces in their collection.
Yes, first time buyers of art do have fears. They might not know what they like. If they know what they like, how can they tell if it is good art. What if they buy a fake. They often feel uncomfortable when they go into a sales gallery or a prestigious museum to look at art. Sometimes the galleries and museums are designed to make you feel that way. We have been taught as a society that great artist are genius, celebrities and madmen. Museums are like cathedrals and promise secular immortality. Art values have climbed to dizzying heights. The newest banks now even look like prestigious galleries. Hugh Davies director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, in a recent lecture on his involvement with the Whitney Biennial in New York expressed the belief that one of the roles of the museum is to buy and support artist who can't sell to individuals.
A first time buyer has to develop an eye. This means that you have to look and look and look. You form judgements as you look and your opinions change and grow. Even making a wrong choice means you have discovered what is incorrect. Don't try to spend more than an hour or two at first, as you eyes get exhausted. Look at the object first, then it's label. Look at the parts and the whole. Look fast and come back to what attracts you. Stop looking when you are full.
Ellen Speert, registered and board-certified art therapist and collector, believes there should be "...a personal response that can be felt by the viewer. This is not an intellectual response or process." This experience with the artwork should be one that the viewer wants to continue to feel. Buying the work makes that possible. So trust yourself. Knowledge comes with time and your taste will become defined. You can add to your knowledge by going on docent tours, taking the tape tours, reading books and art magazines, going to adult education classes, visiting many museums, galleries, artist studios, auction previews and using the Internet (don't forget COVA's slide and web registry of artists at www.covasd.org). Mark Quint, director of one of our leading sales galleries, Quint Contemporary Art in La Jolla, advises collectors not to rush in but to "...dig a little deeper before they buy." Buy what you love and can afford and are certain is not an imitation by using a reputable gallery before you buy a "name" artist. The good news is that emerging artist both young and old are affordable and never faked. When the national economy is good, collectors are more daring and new works of art can soar in value. When times are hard, conservative and safe works go up in value. And as Debby Kline of the Museum, California Center for the Arts, points out, "When the stock market takes a dive, people invest in art instead." But don't start buying to make money. Advice from Armin Callo is "Buy what speaks to you and not what is pushed at you."
Ralyn and Nate Wolfstein who have made possible the Wolfstein Sculpture Park at Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, says they love sharing the joys of art and the fun of participation in a large project with the on-going discussion and debate which is endlessly stimulating. But most of all they love the chance to meet the artists. You don't have to endow an art foundation to do that. You are participating in Open Studios 2000. Start buying because art is not separate from everyday life. Buy art and enjoy it and your appreciation of all that is around you grows.
Patricia Frischer is a full time artist whose work is included in Open Studio 2000. She has also been director of a sales gallery and head of an art department in London, written a book of advice for artist about the marketplace and was an assistant professor at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. She is a freelance lecturer and creativity consultant and is the founder and coordinator of the San Diego Visual Arts Network
1. Tuchman, Mitch and Brenner, Peter, Magnificent Obsessions, San Francisco Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1994
2. Cumming, Robert, Christie's Guide to Collecting, Oxford Phaidon Christie's, Oxford 1984
Bibliography:
1. Buck, Louisa, and Dodd, Phillip, Relative Values, BBC Publications, London, April 1994
2. Cumming, Robert, Christie's Guide to Collecting, Oxford Phaidon Christie's, Oxford, 1984
3. Elsner, John and Cardinal, Roger, The Culture of Collection, Havard University Press, Boston, 1994
4. Frank, Jeanne, Discovering Art, Thundermouth Press, New York, 1997
5. Mallalieu, Huon, How to Buy Pictures, Oxford Phaidon, Oxford, 1984
6. Pearce, Susan M., Collecting in Contemporary Practice. Sage Publication, 1998
7. Tuchman, Mitch and Brenner, Peter, Magnificent Obsessions, San Francisco Chronicles Books, San Francisco,1994
Copyright © by Patricia Frischer.
NEW COLLECTORS
An art collector has the ability to select a work of art and get an emotional or intellectual kick from that work. The collector has to own the work, not just observe it. The collector compiles works of art and describes why they all belong together. He or she makes order from the chaos of their buying. To do this a collector decides to give time and money. But more than all of the above, the collector has the conviction that the collection is "meaningful, justified, even requisite to the improvement of mankind." The first-time buyer of an artwork is dipping a toe into this fascinating and compelling world.
The art markets have the role of transforming an object into an artwork which is isolated and valued. The art market can define art at a particular moment in history. But the buyer can challenge attitudes to art. A collection is great when it opens our eyes to a world around us that is complex, unpredictable and rich.
Noah was perhaps the first collector. He collected to save the world. The Roman Empire was a collection of countries for power and dominance. What then are the benefits of collecting for modern mankind? A collection of art can create an alternate universe. Where in real life the collector can feel trapped, alien, alone, the collection can create an atmosphere of escape where things are familiar and comforting like belonging to a club. Jim Dax of Coldwell Banker in San Diego buys works to which he can perennially relate. His extensive collection of California impressionist paintings contains landscape scenes with which he is familiar. He uses his art to draw himself out of himself and chooses work not for the money involved, but because of his passion for the art itself. When the real world is constantly changing, uncertain and uncontrollable, a collection can give a sense of stability and control. Mark Lugo is building a collection of mini masterpieces and feels he owns a cultural treasure that will one day be passed on for the enjoyment of society as a whole. As Visual Arts Event Coordinator at the Earl and Birdie Taylor Library in Pacific Beach, his job allows him to "get inside the artist's head in a meaningful and profound way." He often discovers that artists are more multifaceted than he suspected as they reveal preliminary drawings and secret series of work. Whereas reality is transient, a collection is permanent and can even create a safe port which soothes and reassures. When life is boring and passive, the collecting can create an active and rewarding activity.
Collections can be started simply from the need to fill blank walls. The first work purchased might be by an artist who intrigues the collector. After this small beginning, the reasons for collecting start to reveal themselves. A very small financial outlay can create a very large aesthetic currency. The works soon become good friends who surround you with love and care. Art like love is "fulfilling, stimulating and rewarding and demands to be shared." There are buyers who collect as a nesting instinct, as a reflection and continuation of their interests and hobbies, as an investment, as a tax deduction, as a "My art can beat up your art" competition, as an escape into a different community of people who care about different things, as a substitute for family or friends, as a way to become more socially acceptable, as legacy for one's heirs, as a way to establish their place in history, and even as a whim or an uncontrollable passion.
Ellen Phelan, is an art educator and activist who has an extensive and important collection. She believes that, "Any person can collect works of art which will always add to the pleasures and enrichments of daily living. I don't buy things, but things do accumulate. The only thing I do collect, is art." She has made and encourages others to make a commitment at a level one can afford and to buy art regularly. She agrees with mainline thinking that regional art is the next important area of collecting and San Diego has enough good regional art to be taken seriously.
Doug Simay, co-founder of Arts College International, has played a large part in the health of the social community of our local artists. He, like Mark Lugo, believes that there is art in San Diego of a very high quality. "There are art masters that live in our neighborhood...in 45 years my collection will take my breath away." He buys the best pieces of art available and "...sometimes that means having to stretch a wee bit over what I thought I could afford."
For Armin Callo art collecting has been an educational process for self-improvement. His mother gave him permission to buy his first masterpiece and set him free. With each new acquisitions he begins a journey, researching the artist, style, period. He sold one of his works to help pay for law school and got all the pleasure of owning and researching the art and then the bonus of having the work help him at a time of need. Compare this to Martin Slattery, whose widow Claire says that Martin a very interesting man. It was his firm belief that the gathering and enjoyment of paintings and objects played a large part in making him interesting. He liked things that were old and had character and a story and didn't mind if they were less than perfect.There seem to be as many reasons to collect as strokes of paint on a Monet.
Walter Pomeroy tries hard to meet all the artist whose work he has collected. His collection is 90% local art. He wants to see the artist's point of view and often collects one work from each of a continuing series by the artist. His social life has been greatly expanded by this contact with artists and he regrets little that he has bought, rather those things he didn't buy. Walter's tip for new collectors with limited funds is to ask the artist to do a piece which is affordable or hunt one out of his or her collection. A surprising number of artists are open to the barter system and will exchange work for everything from computer time to a koi pond. Bargains can sometimes be found at art auctions and artists do have fire sales in their studios to help move older work to make room for the new. Many galleries and artists will arrange layaway plans for when you fall in love with a piece and want to pay for it over time. Debby and Larry Kline encourage us to buy works from art students: "This can make the difference between that student staying in the arts or giving up." And the Klines buy art for each other as gifts instead of chocolates or flowers for many occasions. In fact, they now realize that gifts have been purchased through to Hanukkah 2004.
Another art-collecting couple in our community is Debra and Larry Poteet. They have built their collection mainly through art dealers, one of which was a mentor to them when they started collecting in their early 30's. The personnel in a reputable gallery can make a huge difference. Larry says, "They should have a passion for art and not just a passion for money." The Poteets had no art background and are self-educated in the arts. Their business fields are law and investments but art has opened up a whole other side to their lives and they count those in the art community as their most interesting friends. Where Debra is drawn to figurative work with a compelling personal message, rich and mystical, Larry looks for work which is edgy and slaps you in the face with commentary or symbolism. They have him, her and us pieces in their collection.
Yes, first time buyers of art do have fears. They might not know what they like. If they know what they like, how can they tell if it is good art. What if they buy a fake. They often feel uncomfortable when they go into a sales gallery or a prestigious museum to look at art. Sometimes the galleries and museums are designed to make you feel that way. We have been taught as a society that great artist are genius, celebrities and madmen. Museums are like cathedrals and promise secular immortality. Art values have climbed to dizzying heights. The newest banks now even look like prestigious galleries. Hugh Davies director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, in a recent lecture on his involvement with the Whitney Biennial in New York expressed the belief that one of the roles of the museum is to buy and support artist who can't sell to individuals.
A first time buyer has to develop an eye. This means that you have to look and look and look. You form judgements as you look and your opinions change and grow. Even making a wrong choice means you have discovered what is incorrect. Don't try to spend more than an hour or two at first, as you eyes get exhausted. Look at the object first, then it's label. Look at the parts and the whole. Look fast and come back to what attracts you. Stop looking when you are full.
Ellen Speert, registered and board-certified art therapist and collector, believes there should be "...a personal response that can be felt by the viewer. This is not an intellectual response or process." This experience with the artwork should be one that the viewer wants to continue to feel. Buying the work makes that possible. So trust yourself. Knowledge comes with time and your taste will become defined. You can add to your knowledge by going on docent tours, taking the tape tours, reading books and art magazines, going to adult education classes, visiting many museums, galleries, artist studios, auction previews and using the Internet (don't forget COVA's slide and web registry of artists at www.covasd.org). Mark Quint, director of one of our leading sales galleries, Quint Contemporary Art in La Jolla, advises collectors not to rush in but to "...dig a little deeper before they buy." Buy what you love and can afford and are certain is not an imitation by using a reputable gallery before you buy a "name" artist. The good news is that emerging artist both young and old are affordable and never faked. When the national economy is good, collectors are more daring and new works of art can soar in value. When times are hard, conservative and safe works go up in value. And as Debby Kline of the Museum, California Center for the Arts, points out, "When the stock market takes a dive, people invest in art instead." But don't start buying to make money. Advice from Armin Callo is "Buy what speaks to you and not what is pushed at you."
Ralyn and Nate Wolfstein who have made possible the Wolfstein Sculpture Park at Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, says they love sharing the joys of art and the fun of participation in a large project with the on-going discussion and debate which is endlessly stimulating. But most of all they love the chance to meet the artists. You don't have to endow an art foundation to do that. You are participating in Open Studios 2000. Start buying because art is not separate from everyday life. Buy art and enjoy it and your appreciation of all that is around you grows.
Patricia Frischer is a full time artist whose work is included in Open Studio 2000. She has also been director of a sales gallery and head of an art department in London, written a book of advice for artist about the marketplace and was an assistant professor at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. She is a freelance lecturer and creativity consultant and is the founder and coordinator of the San Diego Visual Arts Network
1. Tuchman, Mitch and Brenner, Peter, Magnificent Obsessions, San Francisco Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1994
2. Cumming, Robert, Christie's Guide to Collecting, Oxford Phaidon Christie's, Oxford 1984
Bibliography:
1. Buck, Louisa, and Dodd, Phillip, Relative Values, BBC Publications, London, April 1994
2. Cumming, Robert, Christie's Guide to Collecting, Oxford Phaidon Christie's, Oxford, 1984
3. Elsner, John and Cardinal, Roger, The Culture of Collection, Havard University Press, Boston, 1994
4. Frank, Jeanne, Discovering Art, Thundermouth Press, New York, 1997
5. Mallalieu, Huon, How to Buy Pictures, Oxford Phaidon, Oxford, 1984
6. Pearce, Susan M., Collecting in Contemporary Practice. Sage Publication, 1998
7. Tuchman, Mitch and Brenner, Peter, Magnificent Obsessions, San Francisco Chronicles Books, San Francisco,1994
Copyright © by Patricia Frischer.
