Largest Private Collection of Mark Rothko Works Exhibited in Moscow

Moscow's Garage Center for Contemporary Culture is currently exhibiting 13 paintings from the world's largest private Mark Rothko collection. Titled "Mark Rothko: Into an Unknown World," this is Moscow's first large-scale exhibition devoted to the artist and focus on Rothko's mature period (1949 - 1969).

Included in the exhibition are studies for all three of the artist's famous mural projects: the Seagram Murals for the restaurant of the Seagram Building in New York, murals for the Holyoke Center at Harvard University and for the Rothko Chapel at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. A gray and black painting that Rothko completed shortly before his suicide in 1970 is also on display. This marks the first time these paintings have been shown together.

Rothko, born in 1903, explored surrealism and symbolism early in his career and later broke with representation in developing his signature style. The artist is best known for his post-1940s large canvases, on which he used luminous thin block coloring in reacting against the cubism of Picasso and the abstract cubism of Mondrian.

As the Moscow exhibition shows, Rothko's canvases became darker over the years, and his final works were devoid of color all together. This, along with Rothko's desire for dim lighting at his exhibitions (which the Moscow gallery is adhering to) reveal the artist's mounting struggles with depression, which became worse as he got older.

While Rothko has been a fixture of 20th century American Art - with his works included in the 20th century American art collections of some of the world's most well-known art museums (like the MoMA, Met, Tate, etc), it's interesting to note that the Russian art world is just now hosting its first large-scale Rothko exhibition. This is especially intriguing because the artist was actually born in Russia (a city formerly known as Dvinsk, which is now Daugavpils, Latvia). While it's debated, most experts say that Rothko's Russian heritage never really influence his work.

Click here to read the Moscow Times article associated with this post

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

Prestigious "Ranch" Turned Art Museum

While most associate ranches with the "wild west," cowboys, rodeos and horses, Sunnylands Rancho Mirage California is not your typical ranch. Ambassador Walter and Leonore Annenberg had their 200-acre estate built during the 1960s near Palm Springs.


The Annenbergs lived in this desert oasis, which includes a 25,000 square-foot mid-century modern house and private golf course, each year for several months during the winter after its completion. The "ranch" has since entertained seven US presidents, British royalty, international political figures and cultural and entertainment icons.

The Annenbergs were extremely philanthropic, and in their memory, Sunnylands will undergo a transformation, becoming an art museum (and VIP conference center) in late 2011. The exquisite home contains the Annenberg's extensive collection of impressive art, including paintings by Van Gogh and Gauguin, two Rodins, a Giacometti, Chinese bronzes and stained glass. The art will be displayed among the home's original interior (which features period furniture).

The new Annenberg Center promises to offer visitors an understanding of the mid-century modern architecture and art collections at Sunnylands, the many important political and cultural figures who visited the ranch throughout the years and new sustainable approaches to living in the desert.


Associate professor of American art at the University of Pennsylvania, who has previously written about the house, recently stated:

"Once you are within the gates, the landscaping acts to occlude the outside world so that all you can see are the mountains and the sky. It is like the Annenbergs owned all of Palm Springs."

Maybe these picturesque views do evoke true visions of a quintessential (all-be-it, extremely luxurious) wild-west style ranch.

The Smithsonian's Art Collecting Resource

I stumbled upon the Smithsonian’s art collecting program, and their extensive and educational website about collecting art. Even if you don’t want to buy art through the Smithsonian Associates Art Collectors’ Program, the website is a great resource for collectors (or prospective collectors) who wish to learn more about the world of art collecting from one of the nation’s (and world’s) most comprehensive and well-known art institutions.

The resource gives information on everything from “Buying Good Art” (noting Fine Art Prints as an affordable way of owning original works of art by well-known artists) to “Selective Collecting: How to Focus Your Contemporary Art Purchases” (giving examples of collectors who have made selections by identifying their unique passions).

Other topics discussed on the site include buying prints with confidence, protecting original artwork and sculpture, the first step of collection management, researching history and authenticity, print buying 101, etc.

The Smithsonian gathers its information from a variety of sources and links to other useful websites - like artcollecting.co.uk, an informative and interesting British website that contains articles on how to collect and enjoy all types of art.

Check out the Smithsonian’s art collecting page to become a member or simply to take advantage of the museum’s tips, advice and more!

Check out the Smithsonian's for-purchase Art Collection here.

Contemporary Art Collectors Stay Close to Home

While contemporary art collectors' tastes are multifarious, and the locales they visit to purchase art vary, there is one aspect of art collecting that many collectors have recently agreed upon: the desire to buy local art. This trend - due in most part to the economic downturn of the past year - is a worldwide occurrence.

In a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, Gary Wasserman, a major collector and Detroit steel company executive says he's stopped buying work from English and Chinese artists (like he previously had). Instead, he has decided to focus on buying "powerfully Midwestern" art.

Italian art collector Pierpaolo Barzan agrees, saying,

"I believe that I can put together a much stronger collection, and make an impact in the art world, by collecting local artists rather than trying to find the next Chinese star"

In addition to supporting local artists and strengthening local economies, the trend of buying locally has allowed art collectors to cut-back on expensive art-buying trips to international destinations.

Likewise, auction houses and galleries are noticing the shift and have made the appropriate changes. As Grett Gorvy, Christie's international co-head of postwar and contemporary art notes,

...the company decided to shift Chinese pieces to sales in Hong Kong. "There's been a reluctance in the U.S. and Europe for these works but the appetite is still strong in Hong Kong and Taiwan..." The New York sales for both houses also include no Indian artists, with the exception of Mr. Kapoor, who was born in Mumbai. Mr. Gorvy says top examples of Indian art were scarce this time around. Instead, both houses [Christie's and Sotheby's] have packed their catalogs with works that traditionally appeal to U.S. buyers, like Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns and Joan Mitchell.

The new direction of art collecting could prove to be extremely positive for artists in smaller U.S. cities (like Atlanta, Austin and Detroit) that have typically been overlooked by the art world. While some collectors are hesitant to stay local, many like that works by primarily regionally-known artists are cheaper (than those of international artists) and collectors may also feel a personal connection to artists who live and work close by.

To read the full article from the Wall Street Journal, click here.

Above images courtesy of the Wall Street Journal

Repost from Apartment Therapy

I often, and I mean often, guiltily peruse the pages of one of my favorite sites, ApartmentTherapy. So it makes me really happy when there is a post that relates to the art world and I don't feel so bad for wasting time. It seems like more and more recently there have been some good art-related entries. Recently there was an entry entitled "Art Resource Roundup: Framers, Galleries & Online Sources" that seemed to perfect to not insert here. Allison Marvin sat down and spoke with the Washington Post about her best advice for art collectors - where to find art, where to frame, local D.C. art resources, etc. Click here for the post.

Ms. Bell

I recently came across a great profile of an art collector in the Times. Patricia Bell is a senior vice president with Merrill Lynch, but her home offers an incredible view into a contemporary art collection, with works by Chuck Close, Tom Nussbaum, and Yinka Shonibare. Her story reminds me why so many of us fall in love with this maddening addiction known as "collecting art".

From the article:

Ms. Bell is the kind of collector artists dream of.

“When an artwork comes into my home I feel as though I’ve made a connection to the soul of the artist,” said Ms. Bell, who clearly gets it — the struggle, challenge and intellectual rigor that goes into the creation of a work of art.

According to Ms. Bell, “there are lots of different ways to tell history, but art is one of the most interesting ways to keep track of what’s going on.”

She began collecting in 1989 and is largely self-taught in contemporary art and art history, although she has benefited from the advice and knowledge of others.

“Beginners should get out and look, keep an open mind and listen to experts,” Ms. Bell advised, adding that museum docents are a great resource who are often overlooked. “They’re passionate about art and can provide important background and insights into artists and their work, whether you’re just looking or looking with the intention of collecting.”

Basel Art Fairs

As art collectors, art fairs can be some of the best places to acquire new work. Art fairs are typically large indoor events defined by the "booths" that each gallery/venue represents. The booths are stocked with some of the best work from the gallery's roster, and can be particularly good places to find contemporary and emerging art.

Later this week, Basel, Switzerland will be hosting a slew of fairs surrounding Art Basel, including Liste, VOLTA, Scope, to name a few. What happens with sales there this year will be an interesting marker to gauge the current state of the art market.

Click here for a list of art fairs in Basel this year.

Open studios

There are many different avenues one can take to collect art. You can buy at auction, from galleries, from other collectors, or directly from the artist. If you are interested in contemporary art, or emerging artists, a good way to buy work is through open studios. Often, artist communities or neighborhoods host open studios days, where a groups of artist open up their studios for public view, and more often than not, they are looking to sell their work. Check your local newspapers, or search online - usually these open studios are well publicized. Also, most art schools have open studio days - so if you're looking for emerging work - a good M.F.A. program could be your best bet at finding some great stuff.

First Steps To Collecting Art

The first steps to collecting fine art are defining your taste and understanding the art market. To become familiar with a wide range of venues and artwork, visit a variety of art galleries, artist studios, art fairs, auction houses and museum exhibitions. Stay informed of the major developments in the international art world through art magazines, catalogues, books and online resources. Although researching takes time, it is instrumental to making informed decisions as to what, when and where to buy.

Some important items to keep in mind as you look at art is the quality, authenticity, condition, provenance and value of artwork, as well as exhibition, press and sales history of artists. The credentials and history of galleries and auction houses should also be considered. Most importantly, art collectors should build a trusting relationship with art dealers while buying work that will make them happy for a long time.