18 july 2019, Oscar van Gelderen & Manuela Klerkx
Monique’s Pick… Monique Busman
In this section we let a selection of art lovers – from occasional buyers to art professionals – talk about their perception of art and preferences: where do they want to see art? Where do they purchase art, and above all: from which artists do they buy? Below, an interview with
What does art mean to you?
It doesn't matter whether the works are expensive or cheap - I enjoy looking at them every day. It is a form of guidance in our lives. The works we have at home make me happy day by day.
Did you get an appreciation of art from your parents or did you have to find your own way?
Just as I learned to read a national newspaper at the age of 15, I also discovered art myself. I was seventeen years old, and I had just moved to Amsterdam for my studies, when I saw an etching by Marijke van der Zwaag, which I bought for twenty-five guilders. It still sits on my desk today.
From the series 'Eggs and Rarities', 2018, Paul Kooiker.
Where do you get your information about the ups and downs in the art world?
Nowhere specific, it just comes my way. Just like with Alexander Calder, whose work I discovered at an exhibition a few years ago and literally made me cry with happiness.
Where do you prefer to look at art?
Preferably in a museum or in a gallery. Preferably at an exhibition with a lot of work by one artist, so that you immerse yourself in someone's world, and wallow in it. I saw a palazzo full of Luc Tuymans’s work in Venice last month. That was awesome!
La Palma, March-April, 1985, Robby Müller.
How many times a year do you buy art?
Per year? Per year? I’d say once per year. No – it really depends. With the KunstKoopregeling I sometimes gave in to impulses. Unfortunately, the scheme has been abolished.
And where do you buy: in the gallery, at an art fair, at an auction or online?
Preferably in the gallery or at an art fair. At last edition of Unseen I fell in love with the work of Marwan Bassiouni - and with his personality as well: he way he spoke about his work was so captivating. Last month, I saw that he will soon be exhibiting at the Photo Museum The Hague. Grrr, I probably won't be able to afford his work after that.
Cuba, 1967 Ed van der Elsken.
Is it important that you and your partner agree on a purchase?
No, not at all. If my partner likes something and can afford to purchase by himself , he should go and buy it. Fortunately, we often fancy the same work. So it is fifty-fifty then!
out of sight, 2019, Michael Raedecker.
I was just building a bond with Wouter van Leeuwen, because I was totally in love with the work of Michael Wolf. My friend Bertil van Kaam pointed me to Wouter. I met him at the last edition of Art Rotterdam, he was so kind to give me me copy of a photobook by Wolf. I would go there to buy a photo, but something was constantly coming up. And then, terribly, Wolf suddenly passed away. I no longer dared to turn to Wouter van Leeuwen and I felt guilty because he had given me that book.
Architecture of Density # 101, 2008, Michael Wolf.
If you had an unlimited budget, from whom would you purchase a work?
I’d purchase a work by Anish Kapoor!
Who are your favorite artists, and why?
Paul Kooiker - Not only a good friend, but also a very idiosyncratic artist. I am always surprised with his new projects and with the fact that everything is done with an iPhone!
Robby Müller – The light and the framing in his films are amazing, and this is reflected in his photography. The polaroid process lends his images a dreamy quality.
Ed van der Elsken – Everyday life captured at its most extraordinary.
Michael Wolf – See above. Who knows, maybe it will happen one day.
Michael Raedecker – A friend has a Raedecker hanging on the wall. Purchased on time! Despite the subdued, beautiful deep tones, each work displays a subdued tension.
Johannes Schwartz – He’s probably the most stubborn child in photography I know. His work is sometimes as inimitable as Johannes himself.
Capitals #8, 2017, Johannes Schwartz.
