Usually, the most noteworthy collectors--aside from those, like J. Paul Getty, with the wherewithal to buy anything they want--are the ones that go their own way, that collect a field that's out-of-fashion but full of worthy artworks. Usually, they both self-educate and they seek expert advice. One such person is Walter O. Evans (at right), a retired surgeon who began … [Read more...] about What Makes A Good Collector? And What Is Craft vs. Art? Two Stories
Collectors
Miles To Go: The Met Breuer’s Unspoken Task
The Metropolitan Museum* put on a show for the press last week at a briefing on the Met Breuer. It took place, oddly (for the Met) in a black gallery in the main museum building and over cocktails at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Tom Campbell, Sheena Wagstaff, Jeff Rosenheim (photography) and Limor Tomor (performances) spoke. I was encouraged by two things in particular: Campbell … [Read more...] about Miles To Go: The Met Breuer’s Unspoken Task
No So Fast: Private Art Museum Under Scrutiny
“I’m not against it being done, but it’s got to be done well,” [Rob] Storr [dean of the Yale School of Art], said. “If there’s to be a public forgiveness for taxes there should be a clear public benefit, and it should not be entirely at the discretion of the person running the museum or foundation.” That statement sums up my thoughts about the phenomenon described in … [Read more...] about No So Fast: Private Art Museum Under Scrutiny
Detroit: Time To Put Artists On The Spot?
Supporters of the Detroit Institute of Arts have been celebrating for almost a week now--it was last Friday that the court ruled in favor of the Grand Bargain, which buys freedom for the DIA. But with a catch: the museum still has to raise more than $10 million to reach its $100 million mandated contribution to the deal. And then it must raise about $300 million over the next … [Read more...] about Detroit: Time To Put Artists On The Spot?
Five Questions For Leonard Lauder As The Met Reveals His Cubist Collection
So this week the art world and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's* members are getting a first look at the Leonard Lauder Cubist collection--assembled over the past 40 years. The masterpieces and seminal works he has purchased amount to the best private Cubist collection in existence, by design: He always has a museum gift in mind as he collects. When I spoke with him in 2012, … [Read more...] about Five Questions For Leonard Lauder As The Met Reveals His Cubist Collection