JWM - Volume 1, Issue 1 - (Page 50)

Choice Selections 0 A Musical Feast ARTS Secrets for a New Collector Acquiring art is both an interior and exterior journey, says Cathy Elkies, director of Iconic Collections at Christie’s auction house. BY L I N D S Y VA N G E L D E R FOLLOW YOUR PASSION. “Art is an investment, but you also have to live with it,” says Elkies. A collection can be a category—old watches, modern art or a speciﬁc artist. It can also cross categories, from rare early photographs of the Beatles to the instruments of guitar heroes. What matters most is that it’s something you want to look at every day. NEVER ASSUME YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT. There’s more than one way to skin a category. If you love Alexander Calder, but you don’t have the money or the room for one of his sculptures, consider collecting Calder prints or drawings instead. PICTURE THIS: FAB FOUR In partnership with Christie’s, JW Marriott hosted a unique photographic exhibition this past June at the JW MARRIOTT LONDON Grosvenor House. Beatles Illuminated: The Discovered Works of Mike Mitchell featured never-before-seen photographs of the ﬁrst hysteria over the Beatles. The exhibit in London was followed by a July auction in New York at Christie’s Rockefeller, which offered 46 lots, three of which are shown above. EDUCATE YOURSELF. “A big mistake new collectors make is not asking questions,” says Elkies. The experts— people who work at galleries and auction houses and museums—are on tap to help. One of the best tools of all is the Web. “Go to an art site like artnet.com to see how an artist’s last 10 or 20 prints have sold,” Elkies advises. “You’ll get a sense of the value of things.” MAKE A DRY RUN BEFORE YOU START TO BUY. An auction can be overwhelming when you don’t know the choreography. Attend one where you have no intention of buying, just to get the feel of how it’s done. UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR COLLECTION WILL EVOLVE. “Part of the magic is the chase of the object, but it’s also contextualizing it,” says Elkies. “The more you see, the more you know, and the more reﬁned your eye gets over time.” © 2011 MIKE MITCHELL/CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. J WM MAGAZINE 50 J W M A R R I O T T. C O M http://www.artnet.com http://www.JWMARRIOTT.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JWM - Volume 1, Issue 1

JWM - Volume 1, Issue 1
Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
JW Story
Distinctive Products, People, Ideas & Style
The Perfect Cocktail
Crystal Clear
Secrets of a Great Collector
The Portal
Quiet Space
Emerging Tribes
Time Travel
The Locavore Chef
Turned Around
JW Experience
My Passion

JWM - Volume 1, Issue 1