The Original Collectors Series: Cincinnati, OH

I’m a private dealer and I exhibit at art fairs throughout the world. This sale is made up of my pieces and another dealer’s, who became a good friend after we bonded over mutual love and admiration for the Pop artists James Rosenquist and Claes Oldenburg. Both of those artists have works featured here. Oldenburg is an expert draftsman, so it makes sense that he gravitated towards creating, Soft Pencil Sharpener. It’s an amazing drawing; he did it directly on the plate and it harkens back to the soft sculptures he created in the early 1960s for his installation The Store.

I previously owned animation and fine art galleries, which is why I tend to collect prints — they allow me to frame a work as large or small as I want and really activate a space; something you don’t typically do when collecting works on canvas. I’m also an old soul and have focused on artists who rose to prominence during the 1960s — Oldenburg, Lichtenstein, Warhol. My fellow dealer really enjoys the Beach Scenes he collected by Eric Fischl at the beginning of his career in the 1980s. He’s been a dealer and collector for over fifty years and is much more broad in what he brings in – his tastes span from the 1950s through the 1990s.

I started collecting when I was 16 so I’ve been an art collector for thirty years. I have an enormous house in historic Hillsborough, North Carolina, with every square inch of wall space covered by art.

Which one is your favorite?

You want me to choose my favorite work? That’s like choosing a favorite child. It’s impossible. These are all my babies that you have for sale. Some works that I’m really fond of are the LOVE poems by Robert Indiana. Not many people know this, but Indiana was first and foremost a poet. When typing one of his poems on a typewriter, he created his iconic LOVE with the O turned 45 degrees to the right and the VE directly below. These are hands down his most important works, as they incorporate his own original poetry with color impressions of his iconic treatment of the word. Who wouldn’t want LOVE on their wall?

Which piece are you happy will hang in a new place?

There are a few! The Dali Earth Goddess, as I’m a huge fan of the Surrealist master. The piece was actually a gift from Dali directly to the publisher, and I acquired it from the publisher when he retired. Then there’s the Sam Francis limited edition plates, which can actually be used. I just love functional art! And finally, the Mark Kostabi piece; I love the dinosaurs wearing pointy hats, it just cracks me up everytime I look at it. Isn’t that what art is all about? Making you feel good and happy to see it hanging on your wall?