Collectors on Collecting

The Contemporary, Cool and Collected exhibition is made possible by individuals who have a passion for collecting contemporary art and are generous in sharing their passion with the rest of us. Some of the contributors to the exhibition have provided us with a description of that passion. Read letters and comments from those collectors below. Artists whose work is lent to the exhibition are in parentheses. To go back to the main Contemporary, Cool and Collected wiki page, click here .

Ellen and Kenneth Chance

(Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, Patricia Anderson, Sir Anthony Caro)

"We have come to love many of the pieces in our collection - they almost seem like family members rather than inanimate objects."

Chance letter.pdf

Hedy Fischer and Randy Shull

(Susan Rothenberg, Charles LeDray, Stephan Balkenhol, Allison Saar, Tom Sachs, Tony Oursler, Hung Liu)

"We can't imagine living any other way. We love work that we don't understand, it challenges us and is refreshing on a daily basis. Sometimes collecting is like a scavenger hunt but without a list."

Adrian Halpern

(Carol Benzaken, Lalla Essaydi)

"Friendships with artists have been a big part of my collecting; going to galleries, art fairs, and museum shows with working artists has given me confidence in my eye. Certain art causes in me an almost physically joyous reaction. Luckily, the artists I know produce considerable and diverse work I find really moving. So, having limited resources, I only buy art of artists I know. My collection thereby gives me both visual pleasures as well as memories of the individuals who created it."

Susan Valentine Kanes and Thomas E. Kanes

(Hans Hofmann, Mark Tobey, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell)

"We choose works of art based on both visual attraction and historic relevance. Living with art provides the opportunity to be constantly inspired by each work."

Renee and Paul Mansheim

(Andy Goldsworthy, Stephan Balkenhol, Nam June Paik, Liliana Porter, Michal Rovner)

"We are sensitive to the reality that the works own us more than we own the works, and we are particularly sensitive to our role as mere custodians of the works, for however long this can occur."

Mansheim Letter.pdf

Paul and Sara Monroe

(Robert Gober, Tara Donavan, Tom McGrath, Stephanie Pryor, Jason Meadows)

"I collect contemporary art because it allows me to make a commitment to the ideas expressed and to the artists who make the work. It is very different intellectual pursuit than my every day occupation as a physician. I love the evaluation of new work that hasn’t yet been validated by curators and critics. Trying to figure out what new work will continue to inspire keeps my kind open and flexible."

 

 

Allen Thomas, Jr.

(Sally Mann, Loretta Lux, Anthony Goicolea, Robert and Shana Parke-Harrison, Sarah Pickering)

"I can get just as caught up in an artist, as a piece of art, but ultimately I love (visually) everything I'm lucky enough to drag home. Again, it's in my DNA."

Thomas letter.pdf 

Resources on Collecting

• Buck, Louisa & Judith Greer. Owning Art: the Contemporary Art Collector's Handbook. London: CultureShock Media, 2006. N5200 .B79 2000 Packed with information from collectors, gallery owners, auction house directors, curators and artists, this is truly a guidebook on collecting contemporary art. Highly recommended.

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