What I Buy & Why: Collectors Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz on Why They Don’t Actually Have Any Art Hanging Above the Sofa

by admin

Mar 19, 2020

artnet

A version of this story first
appeared in the spring 2020 Artnet Intelligence
Report.

What was your first acquisition?

Star Gazer (1956) by Rufino Tamayo, in 1988. Our
collection changed direction in 1992 when we acquired the work of
Félix González-Torres. From then on, we’ve collected contemporary
art.

What was your most recent acquisition?

Four large-scale paintings by Glenn Ligon and a neon from his
series inspired by the poems and unfinished films of Pier Paolo
Pasolini. We also acquired work by Jennifer Guidi and Picture
4 (2018), by Nate Lowman, from a series of paintings based on crime scene
photos of the October 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas. Another
recent acquisition: two paintings by Haiti-born, Miami-based artist
Tomm El-Saieh.

Glenn Ligon, Notes for a Poem on the Third World (chapter two) (2019). Photo Courtesy of the de la Cruz Collection.

Glenn Ligon, Notes for a Poem on the
Third World (chapter two) (2019). Photo Courtesy of the de la
Cruz Collection.

Which artists are you hoping to add to your collection
this year?

We are looking at a younger generation of figurative artists
whose work engages with contemporary social realities and movements
such as Black Lives Matter and women’s empowerment.

What is the most expensive work of art that you
own?

The value of art is subjective.

Where do you buy art most frequently?

We have always built strong relationships with the artists we
collect and the galleries who represent them. Additionally, we have
been supporters of Art Basel and Frieze.

What work do you have hanging above your
sofa?

We do not place furniture against our walls. Carlos and I have
always lived with art in a way that for some may seem
unconventional and do not consider artworks decorative objects.

What artwork, if any, do you have in your
bathroom?

We don’t place art in the bathroom.

Tomm El-Saieh, <i>Fruiting Body</i> (2019). Courtesy of the de la Cruz Collection.

Tomm El-Saieh, Fruiting Body
(2019). Photo Courtesy of the de la Cruz Collection.

What is the most impractical work of art you own? What
makes it so challenging?

Félix González-Torres’s (Untitled) Portrait of Dad
(1991) is a pile of candy placed on the floor. We have to make sure
that the candy is always fresh!

What work do you wish you had bought when you had the
chance?

One of Félix González-Torres’s curtains.

If you could steal one work of art without getting
caught, what would it be?

One of Félix González-Torres’s curtains!

A version of this story first appeared in the spring
2020 Artnet Intelligence Report. To
download the full report, which has juicy details on the
best-selling artists of 2019, how A.I. could transform the art
industry, and how titans of the finance industry are infiltrating
the auction houses, click here.

The post What I Buy & Why: Collectors Carlos and Rosa de la
Cruz on Why They Don’t Actually Have Any Art Hanging Above the
Sofa appeared first on artnet News.