Art about Town
Gaela Erwin
Written by Steve Wilson Very often, news and feature stories written about collecting art are focused on how much a particular piece cost or how collectors go to far corners of the world to buy. Laura Lee and I enjoy traveling, and we do find wonderful work not only in third world and European cities, but also in American cities. We have purchased work at the Basel Art Fair in Miami, which was featured in the last edition of Sophisticated Living. However, we get as much or more pleasure from buying works created by local artists here in Louisville and the surrounding area. I think attitudes about art are rapidly changing, especially here in Louisville. But, for the last few decades, many people thought of good art as mysterious, expensive and relevant only to other people. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Certainly there are many priceless works in the galleries and 96 slmag.net
storerooms of great museums around the world, but there are also great works that are not necessarily so expensive in galleries and schools right here at home. Who decides whether art is great or not is left up to you, the viewer. The age-old question of who decides, and by what measure, when art is great or not is very easy for me to answer. You, the viewer or potential purchaser, are the only one to whom the work needs to speak. The opinion of others is irrelevant when Laura Lee and I purchase work for our collection. I especially do not like to evaluate art on the basis of an expert’s opinion any more than I like to go to a movie based on a review. As a result, our collection reflects our personalities. And most people, but not all, get a kick out of seeing what we might exhibit next.
