Charlene's Armory Show Favorites

While reports are saying Armory Show exhibitors "played it safe" this year, I was extremely impressed at the thousands of artworks I laid my eyes on this past weekend. As art collectors, exhibitors, common folk-art enthusiasts (like myself) and others attended the massive art fair (NYC's largest - encompassing Piers 92 and 94) right off the Hudson River, I fantasized about what I would purchase, if given a blank (or perhaps 6-figure) check.

I was so overwhelmed as I walked around, I must've looked like a deer in headlights to at least a few gallerists, and I wasn't even looking to purchase anything! How does one determine which - of the thousands of works on sale - to buy? While art collecting tends to be a personal endeavor, marked by experience, money, and individual taste, I can't imagine any buyer leaving the Armory Show and not finding what he / she was looking for.

Here are some amateur photos of my personal favorites - artworks, that if given the opportunity, I would have purchased to add to my own modest art collection.

Mel Bochner's wordy masterpieces (Two Palms, NY)

Jeongmee Yoon's "Ethan and His Blue Things" (2006) - the large glossy light-jet print is so much more detailed, interesting and unique in person (my photo doesn't do it justice)

Yoon's "Kara-Deyeoun and her Pink Things" is equally amazing... I would hang them side-by-side (Both works were on display at Jenkins Johnson Gallery's Booth

HC Berg's "Visual Vortex" at Galerie Forsblom (Helsinki) drew me in like a crystal ball. I's 3D iridescence, abstract shapes and glowing ora were enchanting.

I loved the pop-art-esque feel of Marjorie Strider's "Girl With Radish" at Mark Borghi Fine Arts

Start Your Art Collection Now!

Chicago-based contemporary art writer and curator, Claudine Ise, speaks from experience in telling us to begin collecting art ASAP. While most people would think to wait (until gaining a more extensive knowledge of art and of course, having money to collect expensive pieces), Ise gives advice about how and why to begin an art collection as early as possible (i.e. in your early 20s!!!)

She makes a good point in saying that your mid-20s may be the only time you will have any disposable income to spend on what YOU want, and that it's a time when you won't have to ask someone else (like a spouse or partner) before purchasing a piece of art. But as someone in her mid 20s, I'm not sure what "disposable income" she's referring to (especially in this economy). However, after reading the entire article, I do see how it's possible...

I agree with Ise that developing ones own tastes over time is important. Beginning an art collection early is a good (and unique) way to stay independent and formulate individual opinions on what you like and don't like. Her notion of beginning a collection in your mid-20s as a way to create a narrative of one's personal history dating from early adulthood is idyllic: an art collection acting as a visual diary of sorts.

Ise also gives practical advice for how to afford an art collection in your early 20s (by purchasing art instead of the newest ipod, iphone, Mac computer, etc). This is definitely easier said than done for some - but art does last longer than many tangible items, so your investment will pay off over time.

She concludes by saying,"You don't have to buy expensive work to have a 'real' art collection," which pretty much clears up my monetary concerns. She claims a "good" collection for 20-something year olds could simply contain several small-scale drawings (less than $20 each, purchased from art benefits, holiday art school sales, etc.). Her advise is to frame the pieces as soon as possible, display the art with "flair," and look at it frequently.

Good advice... now go out and start collecting!

Velazquez and Sargent: Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

John Singer Sargent's "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit" and Velazquez's "Las Meninas" can arguably be called two of the all-time greatest paintings illustrating themes of childhood and innocence. While they share this honorable title, the inherently linked American (Sargent) and Spanish (Velazquez) paintings have never before been displayed in the same museum (much yet the same collection, side-by-side).




However, that's about to change, as Boston's Museum of Fine Arts has generously agreed to loan "Las Meninas" to Madrid's Museo del Prado. The paintings will temporarily hang next to each other (something Sargent would be honored and delighted to see, as Velazquez's "Las Meninas" acted as the main source of inspiration for "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit," painted in 1882).

While Malcolm Rogers, the MFA's British-born director, says it is a "big sacrifice" to loan out Sargent's painting (which is one of the museum's most important and treasured paintings), he is also excited about the display and hopes the Prado will reciprocate.

It will also be interesting to see if the MFA's loan opens the gateway to a unique cross-cultural collaboration between the two museums.