18 january 2021, Oscar van Gelderen & Manuela Klerkx
Ask an Art Collector... Marjolein de Groen
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 Marjolein de Groen (artist/collector, together with Peter Jordaan, she founded the Collectie DE.GROEN fine art collection, age 59)
What does art mean to you?
I am involved with it in so many different ways, as an artist myself, as a collector, curator and of course as an art lover. It is my work, but also my life.
Ricardo van Eyk, CANAL II, 2020, tegenboschvanvreden.
Were you exposed to art while growing up?
In my parental home there weren’t any conversations about art, but there were quite a few old paintings in our house. Modern art did not play a role, I only came into contact with it at the age of fourteen, when I first visited the Kröller Müller Museum. A world literally opened up for me, I was quite taken by surprise.
Where do you read about the latest developments in the art world?
It comes from all sides; a lot through conversations with fellow artists. I like to check out the blogs of Trendbeheer, Lost Painters, Mister Motley, Metropolis M.
Kees Goudzwaard, At a Distance, 2020, Zeno X Gallery.
I prefer to look at art in the studio. I like the context of making the most. I feel comfortable there and my curiosity is sparked the most. I am most concentrated there too. There are no pretensions yet. The studio is the place of the process, thinking, making and reflecting, but the silence and distance of a museum environment is also nice.
Jochen Mühlenbrink, Ohne Titel (Daily), 2018, Galerie Gerhard Hofland.
How often do you buy art each year?
I estimate that we buy between four and twenty works per year. Sometimes we buy a few larger pieces; the limit of our possibilities is then reached more quickly. We can afford more from starting artists. We prefer to buy unique works, but we are also interested in new media such as video and computer art.
Where do you do your buying: in a gallery, at an art fair, at an auction or online?
Usually, we buy directly from the artist, however, if the artist is represented by a gallery we buy through the gallery. We rarely buy at an art fair or online. Never at an auction.
Ide André, Re-Generate, 2020, Galerie Gerhard Hofland.
Is it important that you and your partner always agree on a purchase?
It's not about whether we agree. The motivation to love a work differs from one person to the next. So we can disagree with each other while loving a particular work anyway. If all goes well, a work of art will keep you occupied. They are not frozen facts.
Do you have a special relationship with any one gallery?
The galleries of Gerhard Hofland, Kees van Gelder, Ron Mandos and Fons Welters in Amsterdam, ASPN in Leipzig and LHGWR in The Hague, which unfortunately closed its doors.
Maurice van Tellingen, Winter boom, 2018, Galerie van den Berge.
If you had an unlimited budget, who would you buy a work from?
I would like to buy more work from some artists whose work we already have in the collection. Work by Berndnaut Smilde and Kees Goudzwaard, for example. Anyway, to answer the question: having a work by James Turrell in the house is of course the ultimate.
Who are your favourite artists?
Kees Goudzwaard makes hyper-concentrated work. It is amazing how, in all the hustle and bustle of daily life, a painting by Kees immediately stops me and quietly demands my attention.
After his solo exhibition we have included two large paintings by Jaap Kroneman in our collection. They are monumental canvases, without color, without association, nothing really. Kroneman has no regard for the lazy spectator. You really need to work to understand his work.
The magical and oppressive work of Maurice van Tellingen.
Marleen Sleeuwits, CELL 3, 2020, Galerie Bart.
