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 The Philip Slein Gallery, 1520 Washington Ave. |
COLLECTING LIKE THE PROS:
How to start—or expand—your personal art collection.
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By Sue Britt
Dr. Donald Suggs, publisher of the St. Louis American, says he grew up in a “smoky suburb” of Chicago, where he was not overtly exposed to the arts. But under the surface, his artistic tastes were being richly cultivated.
“The culture I grew up in, there was no room to be admiring art,” he says. “The art form that was important, that was available in the community itself, was music.”
It was jazz that moved Suggs. Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie were some of the artists who stirred his interest in things creative. Later, shortly after the civil rights movement, he became interested in the visual arts and started collecting posters by social realists.
Dr. Donald Suggs, publisher of the
St. Louis American
and art collector. |
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“(It was) almost propaganda art, narrative art,” Suggs remembers. “I got very interested in African philosophy, and African art. That’s when my interest was heightened.”
Today, Suggs is a significant and respected art collector.
John Bachmann, Edward Jones senior
partner, says his background in liberal arts contributed to his aesthetic appreciation. “It makes you sensitive to things far beyond business,” Bachmann says.
He started visiting New York in the 1970s, and attended plays and went to the symphony and galleries.
John Bachmann,
senior partner,
Edward Jones and
art collector. |
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“I found myself drawn to the American
wing (at the Metropolitan Museum of Art),” Bachmann says. “I was always drawn to these wonderful 19th-century American artists. It never occurred to me that I would be in the position that I would ever own one.”
Today, he owns about 15.
Donald Bryant, of the Bryant Group, was pushed into the world of art when forced against his will to take an art history course in order to graduate college. “I thought it was the stupidest thing I had to do,” Bryant says, “but it was the best course I had.”
Today, Bryant has a multi-million dollar collection that includes works by Picasso and Matisse.
Although all three men can boast of a significant—and expensive—collection, experts say you don’t need to be a millionaire to get started. Indeed, you don’t have to have a penny to venture into the St. Louis art community and begin “developing your eye.”
Paul Ha, director of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, recommends getting started by reading books and attending lectures. He also suggests mingling with the community of local artists.
| Donald Bryant, chairman, Bryant Group Inc. and art collector. |
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“Go to a gallery,” Ha says. “There are no admission charges. You can just walk in, and you can ask questions about the gallery or perhaps the artist, if they’re there, what the piece is about.”
Another good place to start is auction houses, such as Clayton’s Ivey-Selkirk. Before the sale there are usually open houses attended by specialists who can answer technical questions.
“Bring your friends,” Ha says. “If you’re unsure of your own eye, use someone else’s.”
Ha also encourages people to seek out and support living artists. “All the art you see hanging in museums was at one time contemporary,” he says.
A good eye is key, says Philip Slein, director of Washington University’s Des Lee Gallery, and owner of the Philip Slein Gallery.
“The real sport is finding the young talent. When you’re already very, very wealthy, that’s when a lot of people get into collecting, but you don’t have to be wealthy to collect,” Slein says. “You can put together a really great collection if you’re...scouring the young artists’ studios and you know what’s good and you educate your eye. I think the great collectors recognize the great artists when they are young.”
In his own case, Slein’s eye drew him to well-known Missouri artist Tom Huck, back when the artist was still struggling. “I was collecting Tom’s work from the very beginning, and I was getting it for next to nothing,” Slein says. “Tom would come to me when his gas bill was due, and he would have his gas bill in one hand and a print in the other.”
Slein bought Huck’s work because he loved it, but the woodcut artist’s rural satire has paid off for him: “When I was getting the gallery started, in order to facilitate doing all the work, I was able to unload some pieces that I’d bought for $50 for...close to $10,000.”
Likewise, Suggs’ collection of Chinese terracotta works has seen a recent upsurge in its value due to the rise of the upper class in China. Americans have driven up the prices of American work, Suggs says.
“Tastes change,” Suggs says. “There’s the art itself, the object itself, then there’s the market and there are a lot of variables.”
Suggs cautions against collecting art just to make money.
“Ultimately, if you’re talking about art as an investment, I don’t think it’s a good investment, per se,” Suggs says. “If you buy new art, which is less expensive, there’s no guarantee its going to be popular. Established art is different. If you’re a person who’s very wealthy and you have a broad portfolio, you can afford to speculate, but that’s a game that’s extremely expensive.”
It can also be quite time consuming. Bryant, who owns about 200 paintings, sculptures and drawings—some of which have cost millions—serves on boards at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Tate Gallery in London, the Friends of Art and Preservation in Embassies, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and more.
“You earn the right by involvement and by being generous with the museums,” Bryant says. “They’re always interested in having you help their collections, as well.”
One of the most important things about collecting is developing relationships with good dealers, he says. “Be generous with museums,” he says. “They can tell if you’re serious after awhile.”
Bryant says that in the upper echelon of the art world, money will only get you so far. “They are particular about where they place their works, if you’re dealing with estates. It’s like anything else...you need to show you’re a serious person about art, that you’re doing it for your love and interest for art.”
For those who want in on the game, a good place to start might be Slein’s gallery in the Loft District this month, while two simultaneous shows will be running. “A Decade of Work on Paper” will feature the renowned Washington University’s School of Art’s Michael Byron. The other exhibit, “The Outlaw Printmakers,” will offer Huck’s work, along with the works of other artists such as Sue Coe and Tony Fitzpatrick. Also, across the street at the Des Lee Gallery, the exhibit, “Underground Comics,” will be showing.
“We just think it’s going to be an awesome night on Washington Avenue,” Slein says.
But with all the talk of dollars and investments, true collectors buy art because they love it.
“You buy art for many other reasons. You buy art because you like it, or to support the artist,” Ha said. “If you want an absolute investment, get a (certificate of deposit) and hang that on the wall.” |
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