#art-collecting

#art-collecting

SALEM - The final exhibition to fill the main gallery at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art this year is a delightfully eclectic collection of postwar African American art that is every bit as interesting as the story of how it came together is inspiring.

Then in her mid-30s and ascending the corporate ladder at Estée Lauder, where she forged a stellar career as a product innovator and marketing mastermind, she had acquired a site in the historic centre of Telluride, the Colorado ski resort. Pawson had not yet designed a private residence in the US. But she took him to dinner, and in time-honoured tradition, he sketched out an idea on the paper tablecloth, along with a calculation of what it would cost. The result was a much-published stone-and-timber structure, for which he designed all the furniture too.

When I was moving into an apartment with my wife, we wanted a clean, cozy, art-filled oasis but, of course, we didn't have the budget that my clients have so we had to get creative!

"I love the notion of creating something from nothing," says the designer, who began collecting the pieces himself after Barbara Adkins, owner of Black Sheep Antiques, piqued his interest in the medium.

When I make some sales, I will typically try to take a portion of that and buy a work from another artist.

"I felt like I had achieved everything I wanted to in a commercial gallery. At a point you begin thinking independently from the structure, and want to find a model that best corresponds to you."