Living with Art: Art as Wellness
Nov. 5—You found the perfect home. Shopped for furnishings and appointments, such as furniture, that show off the architecture to its best advantage. Yet the space still looks and feels unlived in. What about those empty walls? The entryway that is crying out for a show-stopping sculpture? Why does the art from your old house look so wrong in your new home? Help!
So starts the process for some of my clients. We team up and make a game plan for the why, what and where to find the perfect works of art for their spaces. For others, however, the thrill of the chase is a big part of the fun in collecting. Friday night strolls on Canyon Road or the Railyard or downtown. But how do you know what makes a piece of art acquisition worthy? The price? The color? The subject matter, or lack thereof? Oh, where to begin?
The origins of collecting art can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Babylonia, China and India, all countries (or, at the time, empires) where they accumulated objects in temples, tombs and sanctuaries. Frequently, those objects were used to convey the glory of a ruler and/or religion. From the tombs of ancient Egypt to the galleries of today's world-class museums, the practice of art collecting is almost as old as civilization itself.
Fast forward to modern times. Art collectors today usually fall somewhere between two polarities. There are those who are obsessed about collecting, i.e., they start converting their windows into walls to create room for yet more art. Which I'm all for. But some of these passionate obsessives can lose perspective—sometimes, say, choosing an art fair over their own kid's recital. Then, there are those who honestly believe that their four-year-old could create artwork that rivals that of Jackson Pollock or Mark Rothko. Again, they're entitled to their opinion, but there's often more to abstract art (or art that looks like any kid could do it) than people realize.
Roxane Gay put it well in a recent essay for Gagosian (for a section of their website devoted to works Gay essentially curated): "Finding your way into art collecting is a lot like stumbling into an elaborate dance routine with a partner who expects you to anticipate their every move even though you are unfamiliar with the choreography. It can be awkward and far more challenging than you might imagine, but still, you want to master the steps."
So. What helps me—and my clients—is to take a kind of quiz, like this one below, to see where you might fall on the art-appreciation spectrum.
1. The idea of spending an afternoon at the galleries fills me with:
a. dread
b. delight
c. Indifference
2. The more expensive a work of art is, the better it is.
a. true
b. False
3. I feel _______ about the possibility of choosing a prominent painting for my living room.
a. intimidated
b. Excited
4. I don't really know what I like when it comes to art.
a. true
b. False
5. A larger work of art should be more expensive than a smaller one.
a. true
b. False
There are no wrong answers. If you answered mostly B's in the quiz, you are well on your way to finding great works of art to enhance your environment. If you answered mostly A's, I strongly recommend spending more time looking at art and learning about what appeals to you. Ask yourself why you respond to one piece, while another one leaves you cold.
I often start a new-client conversation asking these types of questions. An art Wonderlic, as it were (an artistic variation on those multiphasic personality inventory tests), a client's response to these questions gives me a good sense of how to formulate an action plan for finding and presenting artworks that meets their personal taste and comfort level. Of course, one's eye tends to improve after spending time looking at lots of great art. Similarly, if you decide to educate yourself about wine by tasting and comparing, you may learn to appreciate, say, the subtle nuances between a Burgundian pinot noir and one from Oregon. The same strategy applies to developing a discerning eye for art. Your taste will become more refined after being exposed to more and better works. I have clients who began collecting by acquiring limited edition prints by Christo, but whose collection later evolved to include Agnes Martin paintings. They still love their Christos, but after we spent many hours "art snooping" together, their tastes became more sophisticated. They cultivated an appreciation for works that were more minimalist and spiritual. Needless to say, if I'd shown them an Agnes Martin right out of the gate, that likely wouldn't have flown and they'd have been even more perplexed than ever.
What are your options for collecting art? The possibilities are endless. You can start a focused collection around a particular style of work or a certain period. Modernism, contemporary and ethnographic art are just a few examples. Or, you can start collecting an eclectic group of works that resonate with you and then curate them in an installation that is visually appealing. You can look outside the box to find work that is quirky and budget friendly. Local artists' studio tours, flea markets, thrift stores and garage sales can be great places to find an unexpected treasure. You can also search for local, national and international galleries, private dealers and auction houses that have a singular specialization. When it comes to collecting art, there is no one size fits all. My best advice: buy what you love, and you will never regret it. Or, as Gay also said in her essay: "When avid art collectors offer advice on building a collection, they often encourage you to buy what you love. That is indeed valuable advice, and not as simplistic as you assume. Really what they're saying is, buy art you care about and have a connection to instead of looking at art merely as an investment or a means of accruing social capital."
Living with Art: Art as Wellness
