ARTISTS
'Buying art should always be a carefully considered decision'
Sarah Aibel, curator of the Sender Collection in New York says that the time pressure at major art fairs does not quite coincide with the fact that buying art should always be a carefully considered decision.
黑料不打烊
09 Jun, 2010
Credit of the Sender Collection
Sarah Aibel, curator of the Sender Collection, will attend Art Basel this year, hoping to acquire unique artworks. The collection was created in 1998 with the primary focus of collecting minimal and conceptual artwork from the 1960s forward through to contemporary artworks produced by emerging artists. The Sender Collection has lent works to a variety of prominent museums and institutions, such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian, The Tate, The Whitney, the Guggenheim and Fondation Beyeler.
黑料不打烊: How long have you been collecting art for the collection, and how has it changed since your first acquisition?
Sarah Aibel: I've been with the collection for over 4 years now. When I started as the associate curator, I was focused on young and emerging, and midcareer artists. I spent a lot of my time researching and learning about new artists and galleries. But since becoming curator I've dealt with blue chip as well - which means there hasn't been as much time for the constant exploring I used to be able to do. But it's exciting in a different way to shape the whole collection at once rather than just a segment of it.
MA: Who are some of the artists included in your collection? Do you have specific artists you will look for at Art Basel?
Aibel: We just relaunched our website - - where you can find information on more than 80% of the artists in the collection. Barney, Boetti, Lambie, Lucas, Nauman, Ofili, Rhode, Sasnal - those are just a few names. I'll look for artwork by all of the artists we collect, especially for pieces that may fill in a hole in the collection. It's exciting to stumble on something you've been looking for while at a fair.
Bruce Nauman
Double Poke in the Eye II
Neon and white aluminum box
24 x 36 x 6录 in. (61 x 91.4 x 15.8 cm.)
Courtesy / Sender Collection
MA: In regards to the current climate of the art market, what do you expect to see in terms of offerings and sales at this year's fair?
Aibel: Basel tends to be a more serious fair which is often reflected in well-thought-out curated booths. I enjoy the fairs much more when galleries take a scholarly approach, putting together a small curated show (Catriona Jeffries Gallery is a good example) rather than bringing one of everything and taking a warehouse approach. The art market seems to have stabilized to some degree so I think there should be some good secondary work for sale again as well. Sales at Basel last year were surprisingly robust considering the economic situation; I expect we'll see a similar enthusiasm this year.
MA: What other events outside of the fair will you be attending while visiting Basel this year?
Aibel: I'm really looking forward to Matthew Barney at the Schaulager, he's always been a favorite of mine. Also Rodney Graham at the Museum fur Gegenwartskunst and of course Felix Gonzales-Torres at Fondacion Beyeler. I'm going to spend the day in Zurich on Sunday where I'll visit the galleries there - Mai 36, Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Eva Presenhuber, Karma International, Bob van Orsouw etc - there are a lot of terrific shows up. Also Rosemarie Trockel at the Kunsthalle Zurich and Thomas Struth at Kunsthaus Zurich. I'll also be going to the opening of Liste on Monday. It was really the first satellite fair (they're celebrating their 15th anniversary this year) and the quality of the young galleries involved is always very high. And last but not least, I think the Art Parcours project curated by Jens Hoffman will be a really interesting addition to the fair. I'm not sure how hard it will be to get tickets to the various events but I'm hoping to see both Ryan Gander and Nathalie Djurburg's performances.
MA: Do you buy art from other sources (auctions, dealers) and how is attending and purchasing at an art fair different by comparison?
Aibel: Buying art should always be a carefully considered decision. One of the things I dislike about buying art at an art fair is the time pressure. I understand it from the galleries perspective, they're there to do business. But from the collectors standpoint, I don't like to make snap decisions. That's why I like to do a lot of research ahead of time and find out what galleries will be bringing. I will usually walk in with a list in my head of what works are of interest and where though there are always plesant surprises and things I never expected to love.
