“Collecting Contemporary art” is curated by Andrea Bellini with Cecilia Alemani and Lillian Davies

Distributed by JRP RINGIER
ISBN 978-3-03764-015-9

 

 

 

 

This little book is a very nice survey with 39 great Art Collectors from all over the world (Italy, France, Mexico, Los Angeles..) that have been interviewed about the way they purchase and consider their collection of art. It sounds like a scientific process because the curator of the book has imposed the same questions for all of them. An interesting comparison between the answers was thus made possible.

And actually the answers have all a common point, quite reassuring one, those collectors all show an interest in the art and not in the art as an investment. Yes some of them feel like a challenge to get the best piece, the best collection but not for money reason. It comes after, like the icing on the cake, no more.
They all highlight the benefits of collecting art:

Eugenio Lopez from Mexico  “(…) I found myself increasingly subjected to a certain hunger of knowledge”
or

Mark and Josée Gensollen from Marseille, (….) I never sell. Why sell a part of ourselves….

The consistency they show in collecting piece after piece for so many years is invigorating to read.
Nothing to compare with some “famous collectors” suddenly shown here and there in the press because of the fortune they were able to put in two or twenty pieces in only two years.

No, collecting art is not to be able to put more money than another collector in a piece of art at the auction house. Collecting art is letting art growing into you, letting the non understandable become understandable because of your growing knowledge. Time helps to make sense, time is the best ally of any art collector.
So, if you read those lines this is because you still like contemporary art and you are not yet discouraged yet. So read the book. BCH