What is collected Damien Hirst, George Condo and Jeff Koons? About the most famous private collections of artists

Artist Damien Hirst on the background of the work from the collection
Source: sothebys.com


artist George Condo on the background of the work from the collection
Source: sothebys.com


work of James Siena, printed on a typewriter from his collection
Source: sothebys.com

artist to become a collector of pretty simple, and here's why. First, it is usually surrounded by other artists, and what could be more natural than to begin to change jobs? These "friendly" collection can later turn into a serious meeting, if the artist carried away. He will always be an advantage over many collectors: with gallery owners, he on the short leg, and thus could have access to individual work before everyone and, besides, the artist often better understand what is worth taking and what is not - Eye nasmotrenny.

One of the most enthusiastic collecting art was Andy Warhol, who collected not only modern art, but also a lot of other - World of memorabilia and art exhibitions Indians up cartons of cookies from flea markets. Today he replaced by Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, George Condo, and others. About the most interesting private collections of artists - in the story of Sotheby's.

The collection of Damien Hirst has about 2,000 works, the artist calls his collection Murderme ( letters . «Kill me "). As you might guess, Hurst collector passionate about the themes of life and death in the arts (as well as artist and Hurst). For example, collects images of skulls and sculptures by different authors - from Picasso to Fairhurst. His collection - a "life card" or "collage of consciousness." It has only gradually, according to the artist, in his own work is influenced by everything at once. This kneading it can, however, set aside a few special names for it - Francis Bacon, Kurt Schwitters, Chaim Chaim Soutine and his friend Sarah Lucas and Angus Fairhurst. Speaking of friends. Hearst's collection began with the work of his colleagues - the Young British Artists. Hearst bought the work of those who needed the money, deciding that it's better than just lend them money. Since collecting became his main hobby, which equates to an artist rather dangerous addiction. Hard to realize that there are things that you can not afford. But over time, one of the most commercially successful living artists could afford the work of Warhol, Bacon and Picasso. For his collection at London's Vauxhall district being built museum: Hearst would not want to, so his collection pylilos in boxes.

And the artist George Condo (George Condo), known for its vivid and strange images fictional characters, collects portraits - from the Old Masters and British portrait painters like George Romney and Thomas Lawrence to contemporary authors such as Warhol and McCarthy. Kondo began collecting art in the early 1980s, at the time he exchanged works with colleagues - Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. His first acquisition was a real drawing by Picasso. He now collects graphics Picasso, but high-quality images across all the rarer. When selecting works from Kondo following strategy: he looks for undervalued or underappreciated artists of recognized masters. Not being a billionaire masterpieces favorite authors themselves do not let me, but at least something in their performance can always be bought. Find something on your wallet can be a legacy of any artist - from De Chirico to Garry Winogrand, sure Condo. "In collecting the good news is that you do not have to hang on the walls of the house your own picture", - joked the artist. But seriously, the possession of a work of art, not the reproduction of the book helps to understand it better.

Jeff Koons has long been a gathering of old masters and paintings of the XIX century. In his collection of religious paintings of the XVI century Quentin Masseysa side by side with the works of Edouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, Nicolas Poussin, and Jean-Honore Fragonard. And although most of Koons very far from what he decorates his walls, they have something in common - passion for the body and sexuality. In the works from his collection including Koons looks for sources of inspiration.

And for the Lebanese American artist Nabil Nahas (Nabil Nahas) his collection of no more than a feast for the eyes. "It is unlikely to have influenced the work of other artists," - says Nahas, who writes mainly abstraction with natural motifs. In 1980 he came to collect the work of Lucio Fontana. They then nobody wanted and were cheap. When the market works by the Italian spatialists went up the hill, Nahas began to sell them. Now his collection is and furniture, and ceramics (such as the work of contemporary ceramics Lucy Rea). In this Nahas tracks the price of the work from its collection in which case selling them.

abstract artist James Siena (James Siena) from the 1990s collects antique typewriters, and now he has about hundreds of models of brands such as Underwood, Remington, IBM, etc. And interestingly, at first he hardly used it for its intended purpose. And just this year, it suddenly dawned on me that with typewriters can create original graphic works. Now it prints on sheets of composition of the brackets, quotation marks, and other characters.

And this is not the only case in which the artist uses his collection to work. Richard Prince, for example, uses celebrity photos - and not only published, but also discarded frames. Philip Pearlstein, through its vast collection, which coexist antique toys, blankets, Navajo and Etruscan sculpture, painted in the nude. Ellen Gallagher took a page from my collection of vintage magazines Ebony and Sepia, and inserts them in his paintings and drawings.

Prepared by Mary Onuchina, AI

Sources : sothebys.com , artinvestment.ru