10 november 2023, Wouter van den Eijkel
The choice of... Jelle Piersma
In The choice of..., we give the floor to various art enthusiasts, from occasional buyers to art professionals, to share their experiences with art and their preferences: Where do they like to view art? Where do they buy art and, most importantly, whose art do they buy? For this edition, we interviewed Jelle Piersma.
Jelle Piersma is a passionate art collector and the driving force behind the MArte foundation that he established, which aims to stimulate the market for contemporary artists in the Netherlands. Piersma has curated exhibitions on artists' collaborations and held lectures on abstract art and building relationships between galleries and art buyers. He primarily collects art together with his wife Ingrid, who did not want to be photographed.
On Tuesday 21 November and Saturday 25 November 2023, Piersma will be holding a lecture on art collecting at the Vrije Academie in Amsterdam. Learn more about the presentation, entitled “Verzamelaars zijn gelukkige mensen” (Collectors are Happy People). The lecture will be held in Dutch.
What does art mean to you?
"Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it." We have an oven magnet with this quote by Robert Motherwell, which expresses it perfectly in a single sentence. Art enriches your life. It broadens our perspective, stimulates our senses and satisfies our sense of aesthetics. Experiencing art at home is the ultimate form of slow art watching. By looking at art regularly, repositioning it and combining it with other works of art, you continuously discover something new.
Citaat Robert Motherwell
Did you inherit a love of art from your family or did you discover it on your own?
My parents used to take us to museums as children and these visits were always short enough to keep it enjoyable, yet sparked our curiosity. My father used to visit galleries along the canals of Amsterdam with a colleague during their lunch break. But the only artwork my parents ever purchased was from that same colleague, who was also a painter. We had to discover the joy of building a collection of art for ourselves. Reading and looking at art has helped. An additional incentive was that my employer, Rabobank, has a fantastic collection of contemporary art and frequently commissions artists to create special editions for employees.
Where do you prefer to view art? At a gallery, museum, art fair or online?
Museums and art fairs are my favourites. Museums provide access to the great figures of art history and showcase new developments. I am pleased with the recent attention to rediscovered female artists and artists of colour. Nevertheless, it would also be nice if not all museums followed the exact same trends in order to prove that they are in tune with the times.
Art fairs give me the opportunity to ‘speed date’ with lots of galleries. I scan their offerings and only enter the stand if a work really catches my eye. That gives me the freedom to calmly explore amidst the hustle and bustle and engage in conversations with gallery owners if I find something interesting.
herman de vries, earth from krete, 2017
How often do you purchase art? Do you prefer art editions or unique pieces?
Buying art can be rather addictive. Over the years, you can see that the number of acquisitions in our collection has steadily increased. In recent years, the average has been around six to seven works of art per year. We are choosing more and more unique pieces. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the artist's hand at work in a piece – in the thick layers of paint or cutouts of a collage. The knowledge that in a world in which everything can be reproduced, there is only one of this work of art, adds an extra dimension to it.
Ryo Kinoshita, Hiziki, 2021, Galerie Fons Welters
Is it important for you and your wife to always agree on a purchase? How do you decide?
My wife and I agree on most choices, but we also have personal favourites. So, we sometimes make purchases independently. For instance, my wife was enchanted by a work by herman de vries this year, while I insisted on acquiring something by Ryo Kinoshita.
Popel Coumou, collage, 2020, TORCH Gallery
Are there any specific galleries that you prefer?
I can name three of them off the top of my head. We enjoy visiting Fons Welters, who represents an impressive range of artists. We have purchased works there by Job Koelewijn, Maria Roosen and this year, Ryo Kinoshita. Torch is also on our list, with Eelco Brand and Popel Coumou in our collection. We have a personal relationship with Christine van den Berg from Bradwolff & Partners. It's admirable and commendable that she recently opened a beautiful space on the Lijnbaansgracht in addition to her project space in Amsterdam East. We have purchased works by herman de vries and Jaehun Park from her. We discovered Jaehun Park, a South Korean artist, at This Art Fair and we were the first in the Netherlands to acquire one of his video works.
Jaehun Park, Shower room, 2019 (video), Bradwolff & Partners
If you had an unlimited budget, whose work would you buy?
Despite all the fascinating technological innovations that produce fascinating art, I find myself drawn to artists who practice the age-old tradition of painting: contemporary artists like Willem Sasnal and Peter Doig and from the Netherlands, Robert Zandvliet. In terms of older artwork, I would choose Sigmar Polke, Jackson Pollock and Frank Auerbach. If I were to purchase three-dimensional work, I would buy a sculpture or installation by Thomas Schütte or Ann Veronica Janssens.
Jasper de Beijer, The devil drives, 2011, Galerie Nouvelles Images, galerie dudokdegroot
Who are your favourite artists on Gallery Viewer and why?
If there is a common denominator in our choices, it would be that the art is visually powerful and, if figurative, layered in meaning. In other words, art in which you continuously discover new elements. I’ve already mentioned a few of my favourite artists. In alphabetical order, I would also like to mention:
o Jasper de Beijer: masterful digital manipulation of maquettes and photographs.
o Koen Delaere and Marc Mulders: genuine painting with depth and texture.
o Uta Eisenreich: conceptual yet visually compelling with a touch of humour.
o Jeroen Henneman: brilliant combination of visual illusions and a ‘clear line’.
o Lilian Kreutzberger: unique fusion of the digital and physical in imaginary structures.
o Koen Vermeule: beautiful combination of figurative and abstract elements that creates a striking contrast between pure white and deep black.
And I mustn't forget Sol Lewitt. That's where our collecting journey actually began– in 1997, when we acquired a lithograph by him at the modern art museum in Prato. Later on, we added a Tondo Star to our collection, which we purchased from Livingstone Gallery.
Uta Eisenreich, 2010, Ellen de Bruijne Projects
Which exhibition stands out most in your memory and why?
Marlene Dumas at Palazzo Grassi during last year's Venice Biennale. Although we saw lots of amazing work in the main exhibition, I found Dumas' contribution to the side programme to be the most daring and confrontational. It was profoundly impressive. I’d also like to mention Ryo Kinoshita's presentation at Fons Welters in 2021. A Japanese artist living in Germany, he creates highly complex works with spray paint and lots of other original elements. Each frame is an extension of the artwork, delicately subtle yet imperfect. Very Japanese.
Koen Vermeule, the book, 2015, galerie dudokdegroot
What advice would you give to aspiring art buyers?
It may sound like a cliché, but it truly starts with observing and reading extensively to develop your taste. I also found an original approach to be that of the collecting couple Piet and Ida Sanders, who would ask artists whose works they purchased about artists they admired. This naturally helps build a more coherent collection. I'm happy to provide more tips during my presentation at the Vrije Academie on art collecting on 25 and 25 November. 😊
Jelle Piersma will be holding the lecture “Verzamelaars zijn gelukkige mensen” (Collectors are Happy People), on Tuesday 21 November and Saturday 25 November 2023 at the Vrije Academie in Amsterdam.
