Tag: art collection

The Collector’s Edition | Caring for Your Private Art Collection

Filling your home with art is both a way of expressing yourself and curating the mood and atmosphere of your space. Think of your home as your own gallery, a blank slate with endless possibilities to surround yourself with artwork that inspires. Perhaps you consider your art collection in a methodical way, procuring only a few pieces to fill white walls in need of a focal point; or maybe you’re an art lover, eager to diversify your collection with oil paintings and sculptures alike. No matter your goals or methods, collecting and displaying art in your home is a personal endeavor, but there are a few things to keep in mind once you have an established collection.

Hire an Art Consultant

Sonia Gherardi, ONE Sotheby’s International Realty

Part of the challenge of sourcing art is determining which pieces will work in your home, and how to obtain them. Hiring an art advisor or consultant—like Sotheby’s firm Art Agency, Partners—is an important step in ensuring that your collection is a thoughtful representation of your tastes. Curators that are linked to art institutions are not ethically permitted to be paid to advise private collectors on specific purchases, though they will sometimes be willing to direct you to catalogs, exhibitions, or galleries to help you make an informed decision; art advisors or consultants, on the other hand, are able to give you advice about which specific pieces to buy—and they have access to more off-market opportunities.

In addition to helping you determine and develop your taste, an art advisor generally has a strong network of galleries and collectors, which means they’ll be able to give you better access to opportunities ahead of the general public. Avoid overpaying for a work with an advisor’s guidance, who will be willing to bid for you at auctions and to arrange the logistics of transportation and installation. With their insider information and expertise, an adviser will be able to help you build a collection through both gallery purchases and public auctions.

Netherlands Sotheby’s International Realty

With a large art collection, it’s likely that not every piece will be displayed in your home at all times. Whether you choose to store additional pieces in your own home, in a specialized art storage facility, or in a private museum will depend on how vast and prestigious your collection is. Creating your own art storage will require determining where in your home is a suitable environment—avoid spaces with air vents or windows, which can damage art by exposing it to sunlight or air, causing fading or mold. Insurance is essential for any collector.

If you choose instead to store your collection with a specialized fine art storage facility, you will have the option of having a private space or a shared one. These facilities are outfitted with archival-quality conditions, like climate control, to ensure your artwork’s preservation. Sotheby’s Greenford Park, for example, is the fine art storage facility for Sotheby’s London, and features a viewing gallery and photographic studios. Some collectors are compelled to establish private foundations or museums to house their overflow of artwork, choosing to share their collection with the public. Aiming for the best of both worlds, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen of Rotterdam has plans to open a public art depot as a special extension of the gallery, which will house collectors’ work that can be viewed by the public on an appointment-only basis.

Maintain Your Collection’s Integrity with a Conservator

Midge Carolan Berkery & David Coleman, Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty

The moment you make an art purchase, whether you’re a first-time buyer or a veteran collector, you need to consider how you’re going to care for and preserve it. If a piece has been poorly stored in the past, leading to damage, or if you’ve acquired a piece through auction that has been unearthed from a forgotten basement, chances are the artwork is going to need some TLC. A conservator is trained to record the damage that has occurred and to reverse the damage, a valuable resource for any art collector. Often, the fees for a conservator’s work will be covered by your insurance policy, and the fee is dependent on the type of work that needs to be performed, not on the value of the artwork itself.

Experienced collectors know that hiring a conservator prior to a major purchase is a wise move, both to protect their investment and to ensure that the installation of the piece goes smoothly. Artwork can be extraordinarily fragile and easily damaged in transport.

Make Use of Freeports for Collection Rotation

Steve Sallion, Warren Lewis Sotheby’s International Realty

Whether you’re planning to rotate out the pieces currently on display in your home, or if your private museum or foundation is under construction and you need a temporary home for the pieces being displaced, utilizing a freeport is a smart option. Freeports—warehouses located near seaports and airports that facilitate international trade—allow the import and storage of valuable goods, providing secure long- or short-term housing for artwork. Pricing of freeport storage depends on geographic location as well as size—a freeport in Manhattan will cost more than one in Portland. With extremely secure storage options and a temporary exemption from tax payments, the freeport is useful to the collector looking for a reliable way to discreetly rotate valuable fine art.

Art can transform a home, turning it into a sanctuary of creative energy. However you choose to curate your collection, be sure to protect your investment with smart storage and considered professional care.

Find the perfect blank slate for your burgeoning collection with these works of architectural art.

 

 

 

Sotheby’s | Inside the Wine Collections of Great Connoisseurs

Drawing from some of the best cellars known to Sotheby’s, the collections featured in Finest & Rarest Wines (24 February, New York) include wines from the most sought-after domains in Burgundy, the top chateaux in Bordeaux and beyond. Selections such as La Tâche DRC 1995, Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 and Petrus 1993 highlight the unparalleled study and passion of true wine connoisseurs. Read on to learn more about the remarkable private collections, along with their greatest treasures, in the upcoming sale.

Sothebys

Lot 38. La Tâche Drc 1985 (2 Bottles). Estimate $6,500–9,500. Lot 41. Romanée Conti Drc 1985 (2 Bottles). Estimate $17,000–26,000. Lot 36. La Tâche Drc 1990 (3 Bottles). Estimate $9,000–12,000.

Legends from the Cellar of a Long-Time Oenophile

This fabulous selection from a West Coast Collector and aficionado, whose passion for wine was born during a trip to France many years ago, begins with over thirty bottles and fifteen lots from iconic DRC. Highlights include two bottles of 1985 Grands Echezeaux, four vintages of Richebourg and two bottles of the mythical 1985 Romanée Conti. In addition, rarely does one ever see an astonishing eight vintages of La Tâche, including multiple bottles from the legendary 1985, 1990, 1993 and 1996 vintages. An impressive selection of Bordeaux follows with all of the First Growths present including full cases of 1990 Lafite and Margaux, 2000 Haut Brion, Mouton Rothschild and Latour amongst many others. Finally, not to be overshadowed are individual bottles of the immortal 1929 Y’quem.

Almost all of these wines were bought on release and stored meticulously by the original owner in a private, purpose-built temperature controlled cellar. The wines, part of a much larger collection, were inspected on site and shipped to Sotheby’s warehouse via temperature-controlled truck.

Sotheby's wine

Lot 331. Vega Sicilia Unico 1970 (10 Bottles). Estimate $5,500–8,000. Lot 330. Vega Sicilia Unico 1979 (3 Bottles). Estimate $900–1,200. Lot 328. Vega Sicilia Unico 1987 (2 Bottles). Estimate $500–700. Lot 327. Vega Sicilia Unico 1989 (3 Bottles). Estimate $750–1,100.

Pristine Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne from a Manhattan Collector

From the moment this gentleman, a long-time Sotheby’s client in New York City, began amassing a cellar, provenance and pristine conditions have been the hallmark of the collection. The vast majority of this collection was purchased on release, with the balance sourced from the most reputable of retailers and auction houses. These impeccably sourced wines were removed from temperature-controlled professional storage and purpose-built home cellars for transfer to Sotheby’s warehouse.

We begin in Bordeaux, with a focus on the outstanding 2000 and 2005 vintages. Cos d’Estournel, Grand Puy Lacoste, Léoville Las Cases and Lynch Bages all appear in original wood, alongside a full case of Mouton Rothschild 1998. Continuing on to Burgundy, twelve bottles each of La Tâche 1998 and 1995 are followed by a truly impressive parade of large formats: La Romanée Liger-Belair 2003 in jeroboam, and magnums of Clos de la Roche Dujac 1993, Musigny J.-F. Mugnier 1999 and Bonnes Mares G. Roumier 2005. An incredibly rare full dozen bottles of Musigny Joseph Drouhin 1996 in original carton, plus Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 1996 and Pol Roger Cuvée Winston Churchill 1988 in jeroboam, rounds out this spectacular offering of blue chip rarities.

Lot 249. Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 (6 Magnums). Estimate $2,200–3,200. Lot 248. Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1991 (12 Bottles). Estimate $1,800–2,600.