The Chicago community is very committed to the arts and the arts institutions in our city.
Your wife and you have been collecting since 1969. What was the reason for starting an art collection? What is your motivation right now?
When we started collecting we were not familiar with the art world but intrigued by it. The first work we bought was very “safe”, a lithograph by Picasso. Since then, we have collected for the pure enjoyment of it, for the ideas presented by contemporary artists.
Can you name emerging artists, which should be on our watchlist?
Some lesser known names whose work we have purchased in the last years include Xaviera Simmons, Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, Paul Cowan, Mary Mattingly, Michelle Abeles and Scott Reeder. I should also include the French artist Cammile Henrot, although she has now gained substantial attention upon winning the silver lion award at the 55th Venice Biennale.
Do you rely on art advisors or how do you make your decisions concerning purchases?
No, we have never used an advisor…we buy what appeals to us.
You are involved in numerous public institutions and societies. Our study states that a high number of Chicago collectors are engaged in the support of public museums and cultural institutions. Do you agree with this finding? What are the reasons for this development?
The Chicago community is very committed to the arts and the arts institutions in our city. Many of us sit on boards and advisory committees, but we are also very communal; we support each others’ institutions. This is a very collaborative place. The Civic Committee of ExpoChicago, which I chair, is an example—the business, civic and arts communities in Chicago coming together in support of an arts event which is both of note in its own right, but also an important indicator of the city’s stature in the global world of art.
Have you ever presented your art collection publicly?
We have never presented our collection in a public museum, but we do lend work to such places. We frequently open our home to museum groups, almost always in response to requests from the curators of our local institutions.
Due to our collector ranking your wife and you belong to the top 500 global collectors. Would you have estimated this?
We do not keep score, nor do I pay any attention to such rankings.
