01 march 2021, Oscar van Gelderen & Manuela Klerkx
Ask an Art Collector... Renske Imkamp
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 Renske Imkamp (Attorney, age 31)
What does art mean to you?
Besides beauty, art also brings me relaxation and variety in my busy life. For me, that can just as well be achieved by art with a socially critical message. I have to address my head and my feelings for something beyond everyday life.
Satijn Panyigay, Afterglow 08, 2019, Galerie Caroline O'Breen.
Were you exposed to art while growing up?
I visited museums with my mother from an early age. More or less the same works hung on the wall throughout my childhood at home. I have decided to do it differently myself, by replacing a work of art every so often.
Where do you read about the latest developments in the art world?
I hardly read about art, at most sometimes in the newspaper. I do regularly view art online, and I enjoy going to graduation exhibitions. Looking at work by not yet established artists in particular gives me the space to develop my taste, that way I am not influenced by what art connoisseurs think is good. Moreover, there is often not such a solemn and serious atmosphere as in some exhibitions in galleries.
Where do you prefer to look at art?
I prefer to view art in a large museum, where you can be cut off from the rest of the world for hours during your visit. A short visit to a gallery or exhibition can also make me happy.
Bertien van Manen, Couple and painting, 1997, Annet Gelink Gallery.
How often do you buy art each year?
The frequency varies, but about once or twice a year. My income from the social legal profession is not so high that I can buy work just like that - I need to save for it.
Where do you do your buying: in a gallery, at an art fair, at an auction or online?
I usually buy online, whether or not after seeing the work at an exhibition. I once bought something at an auction of Adams Amsterdam Auctions, they host, for example, auctions in collaboration with NRC Handelsblad, but I will not be doing that again soon. Auction like that bring out too much greed in me.
Is it important that you and your partner always agree on a purchase?
Generally, I am the one who proposes to purchase a particular work. If it appeals to my partner, we'll buy it. We have a great overlap in taste. A few years ago I bought a work by Hellen van Meene that he finds dreary. That’s why it is hanging above my desk in my office.
Desiree de Baar, House Wife, tweeluik, 2020, RAM.
Do you have a special relationship with any one gallery?
No, maybe that will come. By the way, I do think that the Foam photo museum has a great webshop; offering the option to come and view the print in the museum and having it framed by their regular framer. Sandvoort Gallery also has an extensive range of many top Dutch photographers from the past. This also includes a relatively large amount of affordable photography.
If you had an unlimited budget, who would you buy a work from?
I’d buy a David Hockney, but not all of his work appeals to me. I would go for "A Walk Around the Hotel Courtyard, Acatlan," which I saw a few years ago and can still recall today. I wish the world looked like this painting.
Who are your favourite artists?
I love Victor Delestre's work because of its colours and compositions; especially his paintings, in which he gives the depth extra shape with relief in the material.
I really like Bertien van Manen's unstaged photography. Her work has a tangible and familiar atmosphere and is never boring.
Desiree de Baar copies existing buildings and spaces in textiles. Her work invites you to look at shapes and details that you’d normally pass by every day.
I love how Satijn Panyigay is able to capture the light. I have often been drawn to her work at exhibitions.
Victor Delestre, Bathroom in Oloron-Sainte-Marie (to Jean-Baptiste and Simone), 2020, Everyday Gallery.
