The Art Of Collecting
by Ryan Thomas

LNeil and June Barrymore-Ash looked down a long, bare hallway in their home and decided they wanted to cover it with art. They now have one of the largest collections of California plein air paintings in the state. To visit their home is to take a visual trip though California’s changing environment.

“We wanted to focus on California plein air painters,” says Neil, “to do them justice. There’s something special about a painting when you can look at it and know you’ve been there. They all have stories.”

Distinction for Neil and June’s collection is two-fold. On the one hand, the amount of plein air specific to California makes them top collectors and unofficial experts on the subject. On the other, their desire to seek out the locations represented in each painting has caught the attention of the local arts community. They’ve taken art and extended it beyond the walls of their home.

“We bought a painting of El Capitan Dam. We got the painting on Thursday and on Sunday we drove to the spot. I pointed out the road in the painting, and there was the dam. I wanted to see exactly where the painter was standing to have painted it, and I discovered he was up in the mountain in the brush,” explains Neil.

To mention another name among art collectors – Strauss — brings approving nods and murmurs of respect both locally and nationally. Matthew and Iris Strauss’s impressive collection of contemporary art outshines many small galleries and museums. “We wanted to collect the art of our times,” says Iris, “because it’s challenging mentally and conceptually. The beauty of contemporary art is that you can look at the same piece and always find something new in it.”

From commissioned sculptures by Einar and Jamex de la Torre, to abstractions by Joan Mitchell, the sheer scope and beauty of the collection can be overwhelming to first-time viewers. The Strausses are in an echelon of private collectors that most only dream of reaching.

But it wasn’t born overnight; a collection like theirs is a passion, and as such, a lifetime process.

“We’ve been collecting for over 16 years now,” explains Iris, “and we don’t buy to sell. We’ll search for an artist in mid-career who has a body of work, and try to find the best piece we can afford. The search can go on for years.”

Although the idea of following in the collecting footsteps of those like the Strausses and Ashes may, from the outset, seem intimidating, it’s far from impossible. All it takes is an interest, the finances (though not always as much as you might think), and a willingness to acquire an expertise in a genre of choice.

But if even the idea of narrowing down a genre or artist has you stumped, if you’re unsure of what to buy, when to buy it, or even from whom to buy, the safest bet is probably to start at a gallery or museum. After all, most tend to be run by people with a background in art and the credentials to back up their sales prices and choices for display. Of course, among both galleries and museums there are differences in prestige and reputation, and status of location will raise (or lower) the status of the art inside. For example, an artist who is displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial is said to have made it.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for in one gallery, you can always head to the next one, and so on. The underlying axiom is that talking to gallery owners and museum curators is a necessary part of beginning an art collection. At the core of their many functions is an ability to sift through the artists and works available and identify pieces with a target audience in mind.

“We are dependent on collectors and vice versa,” says Sheri Fox, owner of Trios gallery on Cedros. “We want to work with people who love art, are inspired buy it, and want to support that lifestyle.”

How do gallery owners and museums go about selecting pieces from the plethora of choices out there? Fox explains that artists who vie for a spot in her gallery must not only appeal to her own set of criteria, they must also pass a group jury process. In this manner, the collector’s interest is kept in mind, since jury agreements represent tastes of the general public to the greatest extent possible.

Surprisingly, sales potential can be a weak motivating force when deciding on what a museum or gallery shows.

“This is not a financially motivated business,” says Fox. “You don’t make a lot of money in our type of gallery. Our goal is to get as much art into homes as possible. It’s a fabulous thing to have in the home. It changes people’s attitudes and lives.”

Once you’ve gotten your collection started, museums and galleries can also be great sources for keeping up on the latest trends. It’s a good idea to routinely visit new exhibits and displays and talk to the decision-makers involved.

“We focus on Latin American art, established artists from Tijuana, and other parts of Mexico,” says Stephanie Hanor, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art La Jolla. “But we also pay attention to trends, like video art and very large-scale installations. These exhibits create experiences for the viewer. Video art is difficult to collect privately, but it is emerging in private collections.”

James Thorn, owner of Exclusive Collections gallery in the Fashion Valley Mall, notes that even specific genres go through their own trends. “In the ’80s, paper prints of paintings were huge, watercolors were huge, now the primary focus is back to canvas and textured paintings.”

Galleries and museums also tend to be affiliated with, or can refer visitors to, collectors groups. Joining these types of collectives provides invaluable access to experienced members who have established a long collecting track record.

“With collectors groups and curatorial services,” says Hanor, “collectors can take part in trips to studios and galleries and even other museums. It’s a nice way for all the members to talk to each other and exchange stories.”

These relationships and excursions are important for anyone serious about collecting, because often galleries and museums will contact those they know are interested in certain types of pieces. The Strausses belong to many groups and travel extensively, sometimes with other collectors, in search of additions to their collection.

“We go to the Whitney Biennial, every art biennial all over Europe, South America, and elsewhere,” says Iris.

“We’ll even travel with our local museum director, Hugh Davies [of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego], to New York and go gallery looking.”

But when it comes to art collecting there is one bottom-line that all experts – whether gallery owner, museum curator, or avid collector — seem to share. While the Whitney Biennial is the apex of an artist’s fight for exposure — at least in America — and collectors have come to trust the Whitney’s judgment, ultimately art is subjective, and collecting it is a passion — so decide for yourself what’s right for your personal style and tastes.