Investing in Art | Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

If you think this is going to be a cynical, sour-grapes diatribe about the gulf between the haves and have-nots, think again. The Contemporary is throwing down a gauntlet to the general population.

 

Contemporary Masterworks:
St. Louis Collects
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
(April 7–July 11, 2006)

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The Contemporary has balls—or at least chutzpah, if you care to phrase it that way. Its current exhibit highlights the holdings of several noted art collectors in St. Louis. A wide array of local and international artists are represented: Michael Eastman, Dan Gualdoni, Tom Huck, James Siena, and Hiroshi Sugimoto, to name but a few. To illustrate the significance and benefits of supporting the arts through collecting, the museum hosted several events towards this premise, especially during the weekend of the exhibition opening. Artists’ lectures, luncheons with museum director Paul Ha, and collaborations with the St. Louis Art Museum were designed to encourage confidence in the lofty speculation of collecting contemporary art. As if any of us will ever have the sort of discretionary wealth as the St. Louis collectors who so graciously lent their works to the museum for this exhibit.

If you think this is going to be a cynical, sour-grapes diatribe about the gulf between the haves and have-nots, think again. The Contemporary is throwing down a gauntlet to the general population. If St. Louis has long felt like an ugly cousin next to Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, or other non-coastal cities, it is largely due to its lack of public support for the arts. Other cities have recognized that the arts are a vital component of civic culture and secured support for such. Were such support found here, the effects would be seen from the school districts to the transportation system to each small neighborhood enclave. Sports and ethnicity might instill loyalty for a particular area, but the arts provide citizens with a sense of place, and a sense of pride for their collective accomplishments.

St. Louis has plenty of art angels who have worked long and hard, and often are un-appreciated for their colossal efforts—people like Robin Hirsch and Dion Dion of Art St. Louis, Jenna Bauer of SCOSAG, and Sue Fleihman of St. Louis Artists Guild. While these people, and hundreds of others, work (often under the radar) to promote public awareness of art and the artists who are creating in St. Louis, it is equally important that people actually purchase artworks, which makes it possible for artists to continue their explorations year after year. Often it is the affirmation of dealing with an appreciative public that helps an artist to continue with his/her struggles, more so than the much-needed financial gain.

Returning to the Contemporary… Although the idea of nurturing a whole community of art collectors might seem a bit ambitious and highbrow for some critics, it is a movement that is long overdue in this town. The collections on view are varied, the artists are at different levels in their careers, but basically the collectors have trusted their instincts. They know what they are looking for and, more importantly, what they actually enjoy. This, more than anything else, has helped them to become successful collectors of art. This is a general rule that any novice can learn.

Some art soothes, some art challenges, some art is confrontational. The important thing is knowing yourself. What is it that speaks to you? If you can’t imagine enjoying a piece every time you look at it, then it’s a piece that is meant for someone else. It’s never too early or too late to become a collector of art. Not up to purchasing an $8,000 piece? Start with some of the more modest artists who exhibit at the local galleries, or perhaps the Schlafly Art Outside Festival. It’s not about making a monetary return on an investment; go to the bank for that. It is about increasing the quality of life—both the artist’s and yours.

See images from this collection