With backgrounds in engineering and finance, this cross-Atlantic collector couple, Barbara and Daniel Newman, are enjoying the best of both (art)worlds splitting their time between Paris and New York. During the past 15 years, their art collection has been growing and evolving alongside their family of four: starting from surrealism and photography, to unheralded female abstract expressionist artists, and now focused on both established and emerging artists of our time.
Having opened their Parisian apartment to visits during an art fair period last year, Barbara and Daniel now show it again to LARRY’S LIST audience. They also explained the theme that unites their collection, how they think collecting art can empower artists, their happiest moments in art, and their ambition to develop art and cultural projects in Paris.
Collecting
What made you want to start collecting art? What is the main motivation behind your collecting?
The motivation to collect is to foster an appreciation of artistic practices and culture. It is also deeply personal as each new artist and artwork is the start of a new journey — some more adventuresome and enhancing than others.
When did you fall in love with a piece of art? What was it?
Barbara (B): I still remember the overwhelming feeling when discovering Rachel Whiteread’s Water Tower in the late 1990s. I was working as a structural engineer in NYC and part of the engineering team assisting Rachel to realise this glowing Water Tower made of translucent resin with the ability to capture the changing light of the NYC skyline. It is still considered one of the most iconic Public Art Projects. Witnessing the Water Tower installation on a Soho rooftop was a pivotal moment for me to understand the extraordinary power of art, and it inspired my involvement in the arts. The Tower now sits on the rooftop of MoMA.
What is your focus regarding the artists in your collection? Why are you more interested in emerging artists?
We collect art which resonates with our experiences, challenge us in unexpected ways and represents the moment in time we live in. The works that inspire us are documenting the cultural, social, and political shifts of now.
What is the theme that unites all the works you have acquired, if any?
We are committed to socially charged works, as we believe in the power of art to initiate dialogue and bring about change. We try to motivate and engage our family through art. The Pele canvas by No Martins and Hank Willis Thomas’ works with soccer themes are politically charged works, and they link to a sport theme which touches our son’s passionate spirit. Then, there are artists that teach us how to look at works with a new perceptual lens, like Lentz Geerk’s “psychologically charged paintings,” Emma Prempeh’s “spiritual nuances” or Guglielmo Castelli’s “landscapes which disperse over the bodies inhabiting them”.
What were the first and the latest artworks you purchased?
The first work we purchased was a photograph from the 1930’s Distortion Series by André Kertész. We started with surrealism and photography, and the collection moved on to unheralded female abstract expressionist artists: Hedda Sterne, Elaine De Koonig, Vivian Springford. It is currently focused on established and emerging artists of our time.
The last works we purchased were by Chibuike Uzoma and Han Bing.
Where do you display your collection?
“Home is where the art is.” We live with our collection in our loft in NYC and our apartment in Paris. Art is the backdrop to our life and seems to follow us everywhere.
We also display some on Instagram (@Newm.ArtCollection) and look to connect with artists, galleries, and collectors, which can be a great community-building tool.
Have you ever presented your art collection publicly? How was the experience?
We loan works to museums when we can, like a Maria Berrio recently to the Norton Museum. A Gilliam work may be part of a retrospective at the Hirshhorn Museum. We recently collaborated with 1-54 Art Fair in Paris by opening up our home for visits, and we enjoyed the interaction.
What considerations guide you to make a purchase?
Daniel (D): It’s a leap of faith each time.
B: A serendipitous journey searching for beauty but after deep research and thought.
Is there any kind of artwork that can make you write a cheque without any consideration?
D: Can’t even afford to think about it!
How important is it for you to meet the artists who created the artwork?
B: Our relationships with certain artists motivate us. With Dominic Chambers, we went to Turin in January 2020 to see his show. He was so generous with his time. That initial meeting snowballed into a studio visit in New Haven followed by regular calls to chat with Dominic about his dedication, his lifelong passion for studying the arts and exploring new, innovative ideas.
D: And meeting Dominic in New Haven led us to meet an MFA artist graduating Yale this year, Chibuike Uzoma, who we have become very engaged with on several levels.
How do you think you can empower artists through your collecting?
B: We would like to be trusted custodians and champions of the artists’ work. Many emerging practitioners understand the benefit of meaningful interaction within the art ecology, with curators, galleries, and other collectors, so we would like to facilitate those dialogues.
D: Self-empowered artists are definitely the wave of the future, and we want to play a contributing role by working with them. Giving pro-bono advise on a non-exclusivity agreement, a no-resale clause, or helping negotiate with galleries on resale royalties can all be useful for an artist at the beginning of a career. It is all with the intention of tipping the scale more fairly to the artist himself.
What is your motivation behind developing art projects within the cultural landscape of Paris?
We aim to offer a research-based incubator for the development of new models within the contemporary art field and to simultaneously set into motion significant opportunities for international cultural producers within the cultural landscape of Paris.
What was your happiest moment being involved in art?
B: It’s more like a series of happy moments: walking through Alberto Burri’s Cretto in Sicily, exploring the private archives of the Kandinsky Library at the Pompidou, helping an artist to fulfil a dream, or supporting a cause that makes a difference.
D: Being around young artists in their studios and experiencing a powerful, refreshing energy; interacting with the PS1 artists bursting with ideas just after the Greater New York 2010 Show, and having the curator, Chris Lew, give me some context to their work during a great artistic moment in time in NYC.
Who inspires you the most in the art world?
Titus Kaphar’s NXTHVN. The non-for-profit has created a new national arts model to make real changes by empowering artists and curators through education and access to a vibrant ecosystem. Supported by intergenerational mentorship, cross-sector collaboration, and local engagement, NXTHVN accelerates the careers of the next generation and fosters the retention of professional art talent.
Can you name three emerging artists who should be on our radar?
Chibuike Uzoma, Xiyao Wang, Guglielmo Castelli, and Han Bing
Instagram: @newm.artcollection
A selection of artists Barbara and Daniel collect:
Emma Prempeh
Ferrari Sheppard
Hank Willis Thomas
Joshua Oheneba-Takyi
Mariah Robertson
No Martins
By Ricko Leung
