12 june 2020, Oscar van Gelderen & Manuela Klerkx
Sophie's pick...
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 Sophie Schade (Creative Development Strategist at Kantar, age 42)
What does art mean to you?
It means a lot to me. Pure passion, which that makes it very personal. I only buy a work if I am immediately enamoured of it.
Popel Coumou, 111. Untitled, 2020, Torch Gallery.
Were you exposed to art while growing up?
Our house has always been full of art. My parents used to live upstairs in the attic above Jan Roeland, in the Nieuwmarkt neighborhood. My mother told me last week that Jan Roeland once came to hand over two works. He just stretched them on top of the roof of his car. Back then, that wasn't a big deal.
Where do you read about the latest developments in the art world?
I go to fairs and galleries a lot. Furthermore, the Young Collectors Circle takes me to places I would not have known otherwise. The goal of the Young Collectors Circle is to inspire a new generation of art collectors; not just to enrich their lives, but also to support the arts.
Also, I regularly join the dinners of the Gallery Club by Gili Crouwel and Robi Heisinger. The Gallery Club is a platform for photography - which is my main field of interest. Gili and Robi regularly host exhibitions followed by dinner at changing, very inspiring locations.
Instagram is also a great medium to stay informed.
Where do you prefer to look at art?
In a gallery, at a fair or in a museum - not online: I have to be able to feel art. Also, one shouldn’t underestimate the presentation of a work: the frame, the surroundings, these are matters that are very decisive.
Elspeth Diederix, Anemone in the sand, 2016, Galerie Stigter Van Doesburg.
How often do you buy art each year?
I buy one work a year on average, but sometimes it gets a bit out of control, but yes, love cannot be controlled, right? I don't have any issues with editions. In fact, editions make a work more obtainable.
Where do you do your buying: in a gallery, at an art fair, at an auction or online?
Not all artists are represented by a gallery. If that is the case, I buy directly from the artist. Usually, I buy through a gallery.
Charlotte Dumas, Untitled, Japan, 2020, andriesse eyck galerie.
Is it important that you always agree on a purchase?
I have the place all to myself!
Is there a gallery with which you have a special bond?
For me that would be Torch and Galerie Ramakers. At Torch I have already bought four works by Popel Coumou. And two works at Catalijn Ramakers’ gallery: a beautiful installation by Jérôme Touron and a work by Yumiko Yoneda.
Yumiko Yoneda, Inner Shape 40115, 2015, Galerie Ramakers.
If you had an unlimited budget, who would you buy a work from?
Jan Roeland, Ossip and Michael Johansson. Their work is very playful. It immediately makes you feel happy. Besides their work being very expensive, I wonder if would blend well with the rest at home. I usually go for a bit more abstract, graphic and dreamy work.
Who are your favourite artists?
I really like Elspeth Diederix’s work. Those dreamy, almost picturesque under water still lifes, the painted flowers, the light; it’s all very special.
I am also very impressed by a 2017 video by Martine Stig entitled "Planar". Very little happens, but you keep watching. Well done.
All of Natascha Libbert’s work. At first sight, the pictures seem very innocent. Some images even have romantic feel to them: beautiful warm colours, tranquility, abstraction.
Natascha Libbert, Lily's water, 2019, Galerie Vriend van Bavink.
