I was once visiting a collector’s home, admiring his works of art. The paintings were first-rate and had one thing in common: they were all nudes. Even the paintings which would properly be classed as landscapes had nude ladies populating them. I asked him what the...
I’ll be participating in the Boston International Fine Art Show from October 23-25. When preparing to participate in such venues, I always think of Samuel Johnson’s definition of second marriages: “The triumph of hope over experience.” Setting up, you’re enthusiastic,...
Fear not, Gentle Reader. The word you are about to hear may be said in the presence of small children and eminent divines. It will not cause a single eyebrow to be raised when dropped at the dinner table or inserted into august deliberations. Most people would deem...
Yes, these are the dog-days, Fortunatus: The heather lies limp and dead On the mountain, the baltering torrent Shrunk to a soodling thread. -from “Under Sirius” by W.H. Auden A few years ago, I interviewed Alex Katz at his summer place in Lincolnville, Maine....
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air. -Thomas Gray Years ago, I read an interview with the actor Bruno Kirby (Godfather II, City Slickers) who spoke in passing of the role that luck and connections had played in his...
If you look at my rules for collecting, you’ll see that one of them is “It is better to have a home run by a .200 hitter than a pop foul by Babe Ruth.” You’re not collecting autographs; you’re collecting paintings. Even the greatest...
