31 july 2019, Oscar van Gelderen & Manuela Klerkx
Sven’s Pick ... Sven Schlijper-Karssenberg
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 Sven Schlijper-Karssenberg (Sr. Copy & Content Manager ABN Amro, musical director for the GOGBOT Festival)
What does art mean to you?
Art opens the eyes and ears to what I want to call inverted souvenirs: brand new mirror images of memories triggered by art and projected on a future you’re trying to fill in.
Melankólia - Leaves, 2016, Satijn Payingay.
Did you get an appreciation of art from your parents or did you have to find your own way?
My parents have a penchant for beautiful things and history. They took me along on their trips and museum visits from an early age. We then visited castles, old city centres and other historical sites. Autonomous or contemporary art did not get much of their attention, which meant that we would visit the Louvre, but not the Centre Pompidou, let alone the Palais de Tokyo.
Stripes #7 size 1, 2018, Daan den Houter.
Where do you get your information about the ups and downs in the art world?
By actively sifting through Instagram, gallery newsletters, auction and sales sites, occasionally TV broadcasts (I tend to find interesting things on YouTube more often), the newspaper sporadically, tips from friends, art magazines, auction catalogues.
Where do you prefer to look at art?
The best way to look at art is in a museum that is almost completely deserted. In other words: in the half hour after opening or just before closing.
Surface Matter #5, 2019, Bram Braam.
How many times a year do you buy art?
Too often for the space on our walls, the time we have at our disposal, and the place in the cabinets where the artist books stand and lie. We’re looking for art and art finds us. If it's right, then it's right. We do not put a brake on that.
And where do you buy: in the gallery, at an art fair, at an auction or online?
Preferably in a gallery. The direct connection with the work is essential. And the conversation with the gallery owner completes the story if it goes well
Zonder titel (AR01), 2019, P.B. Van Rossem.
Is it important that you and your partner agree on a purchase?
We never completely disagree about a work. On the other hand, we do not agree 100% in all cases, and then trust comes into play will come.
Is there a gallery with which you have a special relationship?
We genuinely love Frank Taal and his bold and daring "roster". The group of artists he shows continues to surprise us. Galerie Van den Berge presented a stand at Art Rotterdam 2019 of which we literally wanted to buy every work. I must have a special bond with any gallery showing Navid Nuur. Martin van Zomeren shows great work.
Reboot, 2014, Mike Ottink.
If you had an unlimited budget, from whom would you purchase a work?
A large work by Gabriel Orozco and a few paintings by Francis Alÿs, a sculpture by Fred Sandback and one by Lawrence Weiner, plus a tableau by Jeff Wall, and a basketball drawing by David Hammons.
Who are your favourite artists?
Satijn Panyigay: We saw Satijn's work early on and fell in love with it. I bought a piece of work from her as an alternative engagement ring for my wife. We own several photos and artist books from Satijn, because she is one of the best photographers in the Netherlands.
Bram Braam: Bram combines minimalism and urban realism in a way that stacks story on story, yet never becomes explicit.
Jorrit Paaijmans: As far as we are concerned, he is the future of drawing in the Netherlands and beyond. His machines point the way to a post-human art form, while simultaneously showing the distinctively human sides of the creative process.
Untitled, 2016, Navid Nuur.
Gallery Viewer en Het Parool zijn op 18 april 2019 mediapartners geworden. De samenwerking bestaat uit een uitwisseling van content. Zo publiceert Het Parool wekelijks de rubriek ‘De keuze van…’ van Oscar van Gelderen en Manuela Klerkx in de krant en op de site.
