Collecting Art

It must have been sometime in September 2003. I had to go to Jakarta ( I had not been to Jakarta till then) to meet a client. I arrived at their office and was surprised because their office was filled with artworks everywhere… the lobby, the walkways and the meeting rooms. This was something I had not seen in Singapore. For me this was the first time seeing so many original artworks up close. They were huge and beautiful and when you see such beautiful works it captivates you and  makes an emotional impact on you. I kept looking at the artworks and my client noticing my interest, introduced me to the world of art by telling me about the artists and what they were depicting in their art pieces. I remember seeing pieces by Affandi, Srihadi, Hendra Gunawan, Arie Smith and Li Su Ji. Later I had an opportunity to visit their homes which were likewise filled with art all over. I realized that having such beautiful art pieces in your home not just enhances the aesthetics of your house but also your life because you are looking at such a beauty everyday.  I slowly learnt how to recognize  artists by their style of works.

For my birthday that year they gave me a small Arie Smith and that started my journey of collecting art. I started visiting galleries in Singapore and overseas,  art exhibitions all over the world and browsing catalogs of art auctions. I have since collected about 160 art pieces by artists all over the world. Indonesian, Chinese, Indian, European and Vietnamese.

Interesting times were when I  bought pieces that were being auctioned off when Lehman Brothers went bust; collected pieces by Sai Hakuseki (not knowing that it was Qi Baishi) seeing Wu Guanzhong to authenticate a piece I had bought at a gallery in Beijing and meeting Takashi Murakami.

Also fortunate to have been able to collect signed pieces by Charles Schulz, Muhammad Ali and Hanna Barbera.

Soon I learned that the problem of collecting art in Singapore is our climate. It’s humid and when I started displaying art at home, spots appeared on the artworks. I had to restore these pieces and now all my pieces are wrapped up in a warehouse which is climate controlled, temperature controlled with no light. I never even see them–(

At some point in time I am going to have to start thinking of what I do with these works. Do I find a place to display them where they will not be damaged or do I just sell it off.

Sad story of my collecting art in Singapore.