Above: Felix
González-Torres, Candy Spill, from the collection of Andy
Stillpass
Left: Bill Feeney, Trestle, Tether, Tram
Of course, once you find a place for your art, then you have to care
for it. For Cincinnati collector Andy Stillpass, that’s close to an everyday
task. When children visit his home they run to the candy piled in the corner of
his living room. They don’t know they are eating a work of art—one of Felix
Gonzalez-Torres’s candy spills. Stillpass’ dog hasn’t figured it out either:
He’ll often greet Stillpass at the door with wrapped pieces of hard candy
hanging from his mouth. This doesn’t ruin anything, though. Stillpass has 50
pounds of candy in reserve so he can keep the candy spill at it s designated
175-pound weight And when that goes, he can always order more.
Rosa de
la Cruz was a fan of installation work, but didn’t begin acquiring pieces until
she and her husband added a large extension to their Key Biscayne home. She has
several Felix Gonzalez-Torres pieces, including a candy spill (this one is all
mints) and two “endless” stacks of simple offset prints. Guests can take from
both, and she has many visitors. Every day, it seems, she must tend to her work
in some way. “I enjoy the candies on the floor more than many of the pieces I
have,” says de la Cruz, who has a large collection of contemporary art. “It’s
something that requires everyday attention, almost like a vase of flowers. Part
of the joy of a vase of flowers is taking care of the flowers.”
