One of my collectors was recently asked to write a post for his company's blog. After pondering what to write about, he selected a topic that has had an ever increasing presence in his life - art.
My daughter has a t-shirt that says "Earth without art would be eh ." So true. I've had a couple of odd days recently and noticed almost viscerally how being in the presence of art changed my outlook. I was lamenting some sports-related injuries earlier this week. No one wants to feel physically limited or think as though their body is breaking down. After a consultation with my physical therapist, I went to my apartment where I have a small collection of art and just sat. My mood was lightened by the smile of a young James Baldwin in a black and white photo. I was uplifted by the majesty of Ali standing over Liston in another photo. My newest piece is the word "love" written in script, jigged out of a piece of plywood, painted bright red. The word "heals" is a subtext on the piece. I bought it for the pop of color but stared that night at the obvious and timely message. After a short while my mood had changed and I resolved that I'll put in the work and my shoulder will get better. When I woke this very morning and checked the overnight emails, the day immediately became an ugh-fest of client demands and cancelled plans. As I rode to work down Fifth Avenue/Museum Mile, upset with traffic, I saw a street artist hanging an unframed piece of canvas that I thought was reminiscent of Picasso. I grabbed my phone, did a little research and sure enough, the painting was an ode to Picasso's surrealism style. (I smiled to myself as that would have been a strong showing on Jeopardy!) Then a few minutes later I drove by Lever House at 390 Park Avenue. Again my iPhone and Google informed me that these beautiful pieces in the window are part of the Katherine Bernhardt collection CONCRETE JUNGLE JUNGLE LOVE . I was hoping traffic would slow, just to extend the show. I'm going to try to hold on to this revelation, this feeling that art can be a vehicle of transformation. I've adjusted my attitude and outlook in the past via meditation, yoga, exercise, tequila, etc. What happened these last few days was unexpected, nice and easy. Avoiding a life of eh, Anonymous