Unmasking the Art of the Mask

Whether worn to a costume party, purchased during Mardi Gras, or used in sacred African rituals, masks are part of various cultures and traditions around the world. Their artistic beauty, however, is often just as important and valued as their purpose. Likewise, their decorative nature and varied designs make them important and desired items to view, learn about and collect.During a previous trip to Venice, I fell in love with the city's numerous mask and costume shops (among other things). I purchased an ornately rhinestoned golden plaster mask - one that I myself never intend to wear - but rather look at it as a unique piece of art that sticks out among my growing collection.Two Colorado art collectors - Gary Hixon and his wife Carol Ann, feel strongly about collecting masks as well. The couple has built an impressive mask collection, beginning with Gary's own creation, for which he made for the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art's signature Fundraising event in 2004. Over the past six years, the couple has obtained masks by many local artists and one by Colorado Senator Bob Bacon. Many of Hixon's masks will be on display at "Masks at MoCA" (through May 7th), an exhibit of 50 dazzling masks as well as an auction of 150 new masks made by local artists and community members. The auction will raise money for the museum's educational programs.
Wendy Franzen, a mask artist and collector (who also created ART342 with her husband, an artist-in-residency program), recently discussed the FCMoCA's Mask Exhibition:

"The artists are taking more risks. That first year [2004], most people just painted their mask. There weren't the sculptural pieces or the pieces where the mask is set into other elements, all the things you see now. Each year it expands more and more with ideas. They never seem to run out of ideas."Click here to check out some tips on mask collecting

When Collecting is Worth It

While art collectors typically collect because they love art, those who collect with the hopes of gaining wealth may want to re-think their investments. According to recent academic studies, long-run returns tend to be lower for art collectibles than for stocks and bonds.

An article from the NY Times discusses the positive and negative aspects of collecting art. The article states,

If you acquire expertise in a particular area, ideally one shown to hold its value over the years, you can enjoy a pastime that is personally and culturally enriching. It still may not be as financially enriching as other activities, but you stand a good chance of making better deals than many other collectors — or at least you can avoid being played for a chump.

The very feature that makes items worth collecting — scarcity verging on uniqueness — is what makes them problematic as investments. It is hard, almost by definition, to determine the value of a one-of-a-kind, or few-of-a-kind, item.

This shortcoming is amplified by the likelihood that the interests of amateur and professional collectors are often in conflict. In stocks and bonds, by contrast, portfolio managers do better for themselves when they do better for you.

The article dispenses advice on how to be a successful collector and suggests dealing at an auction or hiring an advisor.

On a positive note, the article suggests that in-demand items (rare items and those of high quality) are always in demand, and that being able to look at valuable pieces of art may outweigh some of the monetary cons.

Certain artists tend to be “tried-and-true wealth holders,” Ms. Gyorgy said, including Old Masters, Impressionists and Abstract Expressionists like Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko.
Their work is out of most investors’ price ranges, of course, and there is no assurance that they will outperform conventional, lower-maintenance assets. But there is one advantage that artworks and some other collectibles have over stocks and bonds: You can look at them.

This consumption value, as academics and specialists in collectibles call it, is what makes them desirable and valuable in the first place, and it accrues to their owners for as long as they possess them. That is why collectors are urged to focus on art appreciation, not capital appreciation.

Mad Cow Addiction

While perusing the web today, I came across a rather interesting story concerning art collecting. When I was growing up, a neighbor lady collected cows, and I'm not talking about a few tchotchkes here or there. She had virtually every inch of her house covered in paintings, figurines, tapestries, etc. Well, it seems like Derrill Osborn could give her a run for her money...

From the Associated Press:

When it came to collecting, former Neiman Marcus fashion executive Derrill Osborn had a singular focus: cows.

From paintings featuring bovine roaming wide open spaces to small toy cows to Staffordshire ceramic figures of the animals, Osborn collected them all. And after about half a century of collecting, the 70-year-old has decided to part with his herd in an auction Wednesday evening featuring about 350 items.

"I decided I would just give it up and auction it off," he said.

His collection made for a dramatic interior in his two-bedroom town house. The home's walls lined with green billiard cloth and wood accents painted a red enamel, his paintings hung from floor to ceiling and his cow-related objects were spread throughout.

"It was a little too much, but it was fantastic," said Osborn, dressed finely in a three-piece suit, his eyes sparkling behind round-rimmed glasses.

The auction also will feature a few non-bovine items including a Victorian croquet set and several items of furniture.

But the cows are the stars. Osborn, who grew up on a New Mexico ranch, said the spark for the collection came when he was a young boy and his great-grandfather whittled a cow from wood for him — an item not in the auction. And even though Osborn left that ranch for a 40-year career in fashion that took him around the globe, items featuring cows still caught his eye as he wandered through antiques stores from Milan to London.

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Spring Auction Results

As an art collector, it can be very important to stay abreast of all possible information concerning the art market - especially if you are actively buying or selling work.

All eyes were on Christie's and Sotheby's this past week for their big Spring Post-War and Contemporary Auctions.

Read this article from the Wall Street Journal, or for the auction results, see below:

Christie's Post War and Contemporary Evening Sale

Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale