Art in One Form or Another

Longtime Art Collector Turns Home into Gallery

I just saw my future.

Robert Dootson has amassed a 30 year art collection in his small apartment. Uh oh! Seattle Times article shares more.

Go See: Lush Life

Lush Life is a multi-part show that takes place at nine Lower East Side (LES) galleries: Collette Blanchard Gallery, Eleven Rivington, Invisible-Exports, Lehmann Maupin, On Stellar Rays, Salon 94 Freemans, Scaramouche, Sue Scott Gallery, and Y Gallery.

Lush Life adopts its title from Richard Price’s eponymous 2008 novel. The novel is set in the contemporary LES, where a murder investigation exposes the dynamically changing community of the neighborhood; which despite its evolution retains a ghostly and vital link to its layered past. The deep and varied history of the LES now includes the LES galleries as new community members, and Price’s novel provides a potent vehicle for the consideration of community as voices compete for, ignore and occasionally share the same physical and conceptual space.

The galleries will host concurrent exhibitions with each exhibition reflecting the idea of one of the nine chapters in the book. There will be a collective opening of all participating galleries on Thursday, July 8th from 6 – 9 pm.

Top 200 Art Collectors

My life's goal is to make this list. ARTnews today released its annual report on the top art collectors in the world.

The Man with 800 Warhols

I'm not a Warhol fan, but this is simply impressive.

Giuseppe Panza

I may be way behind in the Panza game, but I first learned about him two weeks ago at the L.A. MoCA where he donated 5 Rothko's to the museum. He died last week and I'm sorry I didn't know about him earlier. Seemed like an amazing collector.

“I collect art because I love beauty, not to make money,” Count Panza told Sculpture magazine in 2008. “This relationship to art is a necessity for me because everybody wants to be happy, and I found the best way to be happy.”

Art 'Black List'

Interesting article in this weekend's New York Times about a black list that gallery owners have to keep collectors away from flipping art.

Who Loves Photography?

I do! That's why it kills me that I won't be able to attend this weekend's AIPAD show (arguably the most important photography show in the world) at the Armory where 70 of the world's leading photography galleries present a wide range of museum-quality work from 19th century photographs to cutting edge contemporary.

I'm Scratching My Head

Last week's Philips de Pury auction seemed to go according to estimates. Except for one lot. Marilyn Minter's Sparks sold for $47,500! The estimate was $15,000-$20,000 which I thought was fair. Wow.

Bold Statement Alert!

Ready for it? Ok, here it comes. Olafur Eliasson is the greatest living artist. With all of the Armory  madness last weekend, it was Olafur's show at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery that, quite simply, floored me. No one plays with color better than he does. No one creates a more impactful experience and no one continues explore like he does. Oh yeah, his new watercolors are breathtaking. Seriously.

BAMart Silent Auction

Brooklyn Academy of Music's (aka BAM) sixth annual silent auction is around the corner and there are a few gems available. With over 150 pieces from some great artists there's a solid range of design objects to chose from. Bidding begins March 18th (through the 28th). Pretty please, don't touch that Marilyn Minter. It's mine!