My hoard consists of various collections and sub-collections.It all started when I was a little boy. Hotel sewing kits and hotel postcards entranced me. Free, useful stuff! Then came trying to see how many alcohol miniatures I could obtain from flight attendants even though I don’t drink. Stickers, magnets and casino chips were followed by unopened decks of playing cards, rubber stamps and unopened balsa wood toy planes.Over the past 25 years, historic documents, African, modern and contemporary art have taken precedence.My ownership stake in Cartoonstock.com has about satiated my desire for more original New Yorker cartoons.
Am I a collector or an accumulator? A long time ago, I read an article differentiating the two disciplines. The appellation Serendipitous Collector seems to fit me. I do not actively seek art, books, postcards, autographed baseballs, unopened blank recording tapes and the like. When and if I find myself in a place where these items can be procured, and I like them, I do my best to welcome them to my clutches. Beauty, coolness, condition and rarity are key values in my thought process. Each item is treasurable. The experience of the acquisition is the most fun variable.
This copper engraving by Sutton Nicholls is the earliest printed depiction of a book auction! The only other known print is in the British Museum. Examine the books for sale.Maybe you have some? Read the verse at the bottom. Many commenters over the years have classified the quip as satire.What is your opinion? The auction was fictitious. It’s difficult to sell “The Library of the late Unborn Doctor.”
Mark Wagner. Money Lisa. 2006.
Mark Wagner is an artist who makes collages using cut upone-dollar bills. In his portrait of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the artist surprises the viewer with the extreme familiarity of the image and the medium. Is Mona Lisa smiling a little more here because she’s in an exhibition that has currency in New York City or is she not smiling as much because of the commercialization of it all?
