Pablo Helguera Archive

The collector’s, or trustee’s, position is the most enviable of them all, given that collectorship is not a profession but a hobby. Collectors are not subjected to pressure or influence by any part of the AW. Collectors perform their roles in an entirely free but not altogether disinterested manner; some do regard this activity as a professional sport and compete with other collectors.

Collectors rarely have any formal art background, and in general this background is not necessary for collecting, since they can be guided by specialists (curators or museum directors) who advise them in their shopping ventures. Nevertheless, collectors today have evolved from a passive to an active involvement in the AW. During the period up to the middle of the 20th Century, collectors would provide donations to institutions and would support artists by buying their work. Contemporary collectors are stockholders in a high risk market where art comprises the collector’s portfolios. Considering that the acquisition of the work represents a financial risk, the collectors become directly involved in influencing the direction of the AW. An influential collector who puts up for sale all the works in his collection created a certain artist would flood the market for these works, causing a drop in the prices of works by that artist.

On the other hand, given the collectors’economic and physical mobility, they are better exposed to artworks and artists. Being the main clients of galleries and museums, they are the ones with the greatest ability to pressure for the display of certain kinds of art. This is why it is understandable that immaterial art (such as performance art or social experiments) is not greatly favored by the AW.

What makes a good collector/trustee? As in any sport, the collectors must succeed in the following: a) establishing a consistent quality of works in their collections; b) amply stocking those quality works; c) keeping and broadcasting a record of the number of works they have given or promised to give in the past) d) operating within a supportive family in order to ensure that the family will not fight a will bequeathing works to an institution e) establishing a single institutional affiliation (a collector affiliated with more institutions dilutes the giving possibilities) f) avoiding interference with institutional agenda (it is preferable, in the best of all possible worlds, to have a collector who simply gives and refrains from attempting to run the institution’s agenda, although most believe this restraint is now a thing of the past) e) refraining from developing curatorial aspirations (some collectors even attempt to curate-a big turnoff for institutions), and last but not least f) developing interest in hosting (collectors need to supply the entertaining for most social instances in the AW.)

The following are a few etiquette musts for the good collector:

1.    The collector must embrace his role and status in the AW. Some duties will involve attending boring board of trustee meetings, approving budgets, listening to the director’s promotional speeches, attending openings, and hosting galas and opening parties for institutional sponsors.

2.    Collectors must excel in their patience. They must understand that the AW in its entirety is in constant competition for their attention. At social events, even in instances where the collectors are not the least interested in someone’s conversation, they will have to show courtesy to those who show them merchandise or invite them to social events.

3.    The collector shall not abuse his/her power in the AW by forcing curators, dealers and artists to see his/her personal family album, or forcing them to see each work in their collection, especially if the collection exceeds 4,000 works.

4.    The collector must not be too cruel in the process of seducing a gallerist or artist by making the gallerist or artist believe that he is interested in them when he only wants to have fun.

5.    Similarly, the collector must have certain regard toward dealers, curators and artists in social events that he/she organizes. All these people will feel obligated to attend the events, listen the collector’s personal stories, and nod approvingly in response to everything the collector says, including the most passing thoughts, for as long as the collector speaks. It is important for the collector to realize that the reason that this entourage has been assembled is purely for work reasons: a similar situation is when the office boss subjects his employees to an interminable story of his family vacations. Collectors must understand that their concerns, likely resulting from a comfortable position of money and privilege, are generally fairly incomprehensible, irrelevant, and superficial to others who are not able to partake in that kind of life.

6.    Many collectors, when they start improving the quality of their collections, will begin to look into ways in which they can dispose of the works of certain artists who may not be “at the level” of the rest of the collection, especially those that perhaps were acquired at an early stage in their hobby. This activity, while essential, is extremely delicate and can cause the complete downfall of the artist’s career. The collector will have to observe maximum discretion in the sale of unwanted work.

7.    On some occasions, collectors who serve as trustees will have the opportunity to pressure the museum director to exhibit the works of the artists that comprise their personal collections in order to raise the value of this collection. It is unethical, nevertheless, to influence the museum to operate in such way without promising the donation of some works of this collection to the museum—or, alternatively, if the museum is not interested in those works, to offer money toward the construction of a new wing. Since the museum is risking its reputation by following these collectors’wishes, the individual collectors will also have to show their support.

8.    It is recommended for collectors that, in order to acquire certain perspective on the situations of others, to take “reality courses.”These courses have the objective of encouraging the collectors to imagine their lives without any kind of financial resource or security, having to live exclusively by their own talent. Because this experience can be extremely traumatic for most collectors, it is recommended they participate in these courses for three to four days at most.

The Collectors’Community

The collector, who generally is flattered and admired by all, has only one thing to fear: other collectors. Collectors compete only with each other. Collectors will be jealous of their respective territories and, like children who collect sports cards, will do everything possible to have the one artwork that everyone wishes to have.  As a result, the collector should operate with care among his colleagues, give little information about his relationships with other institutions, and maintain friendly relations with all.

The Living Room Couch Crisis

Seasoned collectors will inevitably have to face the process of convincing their families (and particularly their spouses or life partners) to support each individual art purchase as well as their collecting hobbies in general. Among some of the traditional dilemmas faced by collectors, one of the greatest is acquiring a work that does not match with the living room’s couch.

In this case, it will be the collector’s responsibility to take certain precautions in order to not disappoint the artist nor his/her wife/husband/partner. One of these precautions might be to budget allowing for purchase of additional living room couches to compliment every artwork. In some cases, an additional living room can be built, or the work can be shipped to the winter home in Miami or San Diego.

see also

interview in spanish/entrevista en español

http://www.hechoenoaxaca.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94:entrevista-a-pablo-helguera&catid=26:entrevistas&Itemid=15