02 november 2020, Oscar van Gelderen & Manuela Klerkx
Ask an Art Collector… Noortje Veldhuizen
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 Noortje Veldhuizen (Television presenter and podcast producer, age 25)
What does art mean to you?
I'm still figuring that out. Art means a lot to me. Much of that, however, I cannot put into words, but at the moment it is mainly peace. Enjoying something in silence is a scarcity.
Maaike Schoorel, Bloemen in het landhuis, 2019, Galerie Stigter van Doesburg.
Were you exposed to art while growing up?
I have been living in Amsterdam for over seven years and before that I grew up in Amerongen, a village where I had a wonderful childhood, but the arts and cultural activities on offer was limited to the local castle and the Tobacco Cultivation Museum.
Where do you read about the latest developments in the art world?
I discovered the art magazine See All This while recording another podcast - "De Krokante Leesmap" - and that is such a great magazine! I also often grab a copy of De Witte Raaf in galleries, I love such bulletins and newspapers. On TV I like to watch Jeroen Krabbé and "art detective" Arthur Brand. I discover many artists on Instagram.
Where do you prefer to look at art?
I recently went to Big Art and beforehand I thought I wouldn't like it at all, simply because I'm a bit of an outsider in the art world while the people in that world are a bit elitist. But I spoke to a number of artists and gallery owners there and had a really nice afternoon, got inspired, and even bought a small work!/p>
Marc Mulders,‘PICTURE OF A GARDEN THIS SUMMER” 12.08.20, 2020, Kersgallery.
How often do you buy art each year?
In the past year - my first year as an enthusiast - I bought one unique work and a small editioned work, a fried egg.
Where do you do your buying: in a gallery, at an art fair, at an auction or online?
At a gallery and art fairs, it seems unlikely that I will ever purchase a work online.
Is it important that you and your partner always agree on a purchase?
Well, the only one I currently have to discuss a purchase with is my black tomcat Claus and we are actually always on the same page. Until now he has never put his nails in a work.
Jerry Zeniuk, Untitled Nr. 357, 2019, Slewe Gallery.
Do you have a special relationship with any one gallery?
At Galerie Onrust I saw a great exhibition by Gijs Frieling, and I bought my first artwork at Kunstkelder Café Pittoresk. At Art Rotterdam last year, I saw a number of special works at GRIMM Gallery, so I have been following them indirectly ever since. Step by step I get to know the gallery world better!
If you had an unlimited budget, who would you buy a work from?
Kazimir Malevich. I’d put up that corner with his works in the Stedelijk Museum at my place just like that.
Who are your favourite artists?
One day I want a house big enough to hang a work by Marc Mulders. He is concerned with the question of how we relate to each other as humans. According to Marc Mulders, fate lies in meeting the other. I think that is beautiful and sad.
Ed van der Elsken does something to me that doesn't happen often: his work makes me long for a time that was not mine. The atmosphere of his photos makes me slightly melancholy because it illustrates a period in which my parents and grandparents lived, and which I only know from their stories.
Jerry Zeniuk is all about beauty in his works. Philosophically as well as in the literal sense. Colours play the leading role and represent a reflection of emotions.
Ed van der Elsken, Amsterdam 1974, Annet Gelink Gallery.
