In 1951, Alexander Calder (1898-1976) broke into the international art scene. Two years ago, the native Philadelphia built its largest mobile “International Mobile” for the Third International Sculpture Exhibition of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His works were presented in the best galleries, and a retrospective was installed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In Paris, there were shows.
But before he began to focus on large-scale ordered works, such as the “.125” at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and “El Sol Rojo” in Mexico City - Calder met Stanley Marcus (1905-2002). At the time, Marcus had just taken over as CEO at Neiman Marcus, a department store founded by his father and aunt.
Impressed with the work of the artist, Marcus purchased the Calder mobile phone in 1951. “Today it’s the most valuable thing in the Neiman Marcus collection,” says Julia Chronicle, curator of corporate art at a luxury retail store in Dallas. "We would like to say that this is when the collection officially began."
"Stanley Marcus had impeccable taste," adds Greg Rohan, president of the Heritage Dallas auction galleries, and this applies to his collection of works of art. "
The Neiman Marcus collection today includes more than 2500 pieces, covering all environments, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, mobile phones and even ancient artifacts and textiles from around the world. Works varied from Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) to French painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffeta (1901-1985). Unlike most corporate collections, collections from the Neiman Marcus collection are distributed throughout the country, represented in 41 full-length Neiman Marcus stores. “Most of the parts are not in stock or in executive offices,” says Kronik. “Most of the work is in our stores, in front of our customers and partners.”
Question: You first came to Neyman Marcus as a private consultant in 1990, right?
Answer: At first I was hired for a contract to work for four months. I worked at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and then in one of the Leo Castelli galleries. I came to Neyman as a consultant to work on new stores. By that time, Mr. Marcus had already left the company.
Question How has the acquisition process changed since the departure of Stanley Marcus
A: There are two big changes. First, while Mr. Marcus was at the helm, he made the most decisions about artificial acquisitions. Mr. Marcus praised all types of fine art: from textiles to sculptures to mixed media. He was free to buy what touched him and made some significant purchases. I could never get Jean Dubuffet today or Alexander Caldera. When I first came to Neumann, I thought that it would be wiser to purchase three to four important pieces a year and really emphasize them in the company and for our clients. But I soon learned that we have so many places and so many shops that it is better to buy more work and cover more land. The second big change is that Mr. Marcus bought art without much space. That is why I found a lot of work in the warehouse, waiting for a suitable place to install. On the other hand, I buy art for specific sites.
Question: What is your annual acquisition budget?
Answer: I can not tell you. The budget really changes, and when we open a new store, the artistic budget is usually based on the square meters of the store.
Q: What did you spend the most on one piece of art?
A: It will probably be the outer part, which is much larger. We do not always have a place to host these monumental works, but when we do this, they make quite a statement.
Q: How many pieces do you buy each year?
A: It depends on whether we are opening a new store or working on a major remodeling. On average, the store has from 100 to 150 works. We can purchase several works of the same artist, so we can have from 25 to 30 artists represented in this store.
Q: So explain how you are going to look for pieces to fill a specific store.
A: As a rule, about a year before opening a store, I begin the process of creating networks in a particular region. I sometimes start with guides to the gallery for a given city and calling the galleries from these lists. I also appeal to art dealers who live in different parts of the country. Those with whom I work understand our parameters, as far as the level of taste, style and price. Sometimes I contact a curator at a local museum and ask about some of the young local artists who are doing exciting work. In addition to the above sources, I visit the websites of artists and galleries. All these legs are performed before I make the first trip to the area.
Q: So, when do artists start to fit into your store layout?
A: When I have artists, I look at the volume of their work. I take this information and work on the clock on his plans for the poet, looking at the elevations of the walls and the various options. It looks like a jigsaw fit. Ajaranti are extremely important. For example, if the presence of designer stores creates several walls that are visible in the same form, it is imperative that works of art be free. Works of art in any store must flow. As soon as I feel comfortable, I approach the artist and instruct him or her to produce a piece of a certain size. Approximately 85 percent of all purchased works are ordered.
Q: Most artists should be happy to work with you to achieve your goals.
A: Usually they are satisfied. Neyman Marcus is proud that their work was included in the collection, and they were also lucky that their work was excellent.
Question: What about artists who don't want to collaborate?
A: There were times, yes. Several artists most likely refused because they would prefer their work to be bought by a museum or a private collector rather than a seller. We respect their wishes and move on. There are so many artists who do interesting, sophisticated work in abstraction, which is glad to be part of who we are and what we do. As for others, if it does not fit, it will not be a successful project.
Q: You should get unsolicited portfolios from artists all the time.
A: I get hundreds of portfolios. If the artist sends the package or directs us to his or her website, and this is not what interests us, they should at least respond. I usually explain that we work with regional artists, local artists, where we open a new store. We also focus mainly on non-representative work. If someone insists on the presentation of images of his works of Western art or traditional botanical means, we politely answer that the work is not on our scale or in focus.
Q: So you should get a lot of artwork with expensive bags and shoes?
A: Sometimes we do it. As a rule, we do not mix fashion with art. More recent acquisitions certainly reflect my taste. If someone else comes to work as a curator, his or her seal will be left in this collection. But I am not interested in fashion as an object of art. It is important that the works in our collection stand on their own integrity. They must have the same strong presence and authenticity, regardless of whether they are installed in a retail environment or in any other environment.
Q: Are there any other topics outside when you're looking for art?
A: We focus on abstract, non-representative work. If someone brought you to our store in Hawaii, and after 15 minutes you blindfolded you and took you to our store in San Antonio, you will see the sequence. In our stores there is nothing cookie-cutter, especially art. High levels of taste and sophistication are consistent factors. Although we want the work to be interesting and thought out, we believe that it can be beautiful and interesting.
Question: But this does not mean that you are not pushing artists. There were times when you asked artists to do things they don’t usually do, right?
A: I think we sometimes stretch the artist in such a way that he or she would not be stretched before. About eight years ago, we asked the artist Richard Beckman to create a large sculpture for one of our focal spaces. He had never worked on this large scale before. After some indecision, he took over the task, winning several engineering tasks. The finished piece is dynamic and exciting. Sometimes, as in this case, we believe that if we can stretch the artist and open them to the point that they have not considered, the end result can be an exciting step at another stage of their work. If we can encourage the artist to go beyond his or her potential, it will be a win-win.
Q: Which of those artists you bought, whose things now soared in price?
A: Of course, the most notable escalations of prices are observed with our larger sculptures, such as our sculptors Alexander Calder, Jean Dubuffet, Alexander Lieberman and Harry Bertoy. Some of our limited edition prints have also increased over the years. Many of our artists have certainly received national and international attention.
