What do you collect? Contemporary sculpture, painting,
prints, photography (1953–present). My specialty is early career. I buy
“early.”
When did you start collecting? What did your first collection
consist of? 1975. Same as above, just less. My first acquisition was an
Alex Katz cutout.
Do you remember how you got started? Humanities class in high school. I learned about surrealism and Salvador
Dalí. This prompted me to take art history at the University of Michigan.
Why do you collect? I consider myself an art lover. The
collection is a side effect of my passion. It’s an addiction. This art loving
gives me a buzz. It fulfills me. It’s under my skin, this gazing and fascination
with art. It is why I breathe and why my heart beats! I like to learn about art
so I can teach and influence others.
I have given several slide
presentations/lectures at NYU, Art in General, the Aldrich Museum, the Newark
Museum, the New School, etc.
How do you collect? With my
heart, eyes and brain—not my ears!
Tell us your favorite collecting
story. After acquiring a work, I invite the artist to see my collection
so that they will know how their work fits into the context of my collection.
The thrill for me is that in my home I become an artist by being a curator. What
is special about collecting contemporary art is that the artist is alive and we
can meet and exchange thoughts. Each acquisition is exciting, but it is just as
thrilling to discover a new and talented artist—without acquiring anything. For
me, collecting isn’t about acquiring.
I acquired a painting by Glenn
Brown a couple years ago and it was exciting to see him short-listed for the
Turner Prize.
Top: Steve Shane with Bonnie Collura’s
Virgin and Child Bottom: Monique Prieto’s Small
World
