American Art: Thoughts of a Collector

The title and subtitle of this book are a perfect, six-word summary of its content -- it is Dr. James’ celebration of the genres he has studied and enjoyed—and these are admittedly eclectic. The ‘Thoughts of a Collector’ subtitle reflects his joy in and appreciation of learning more about American art as his knowledge and confidence developed. Dr. James disagrees with John Sloan’s description of art collectors as people who own art to demonstrate their affluence and social status. To Dr. James, those individuals are not "collectors" but "acquirers". To him, "collecting" does not mean simply acquiring and owning, but the whole process of understanding the piece of art desired and one’s own motives for desiring it. He advises the aspiring collector to learn as much as possible, through viewing, reading and discussions with artists, art historians, curators and other collectors. He also advises approaching art with a great deal of self-knowledge: After viewing and learning, what artist or style or genre "resonates" with you? How do you react to a specific work of art? What experiences and biases affect your reaction? Collecting works of art has both intellectual and emotional components. In addition to the aesthetic aspects of enjoying and collecting art, Dr. James gives practical advice on the acquisition, financing and disposition of your art collection, from working with dealers and other sources to legal, tax and estate planning issues. In American Art: Thoughts of a Collector Dr. James discusses the various styles and schools that have attracted his interest: the Barbizon school, the Ashcan school, American Impressionism, self-taught artists and folk or "outsider" artists. He also delves into regionalism — in regions considerably less famous than the "Hudson River School". For example, he describes a thriving group of impressionist painters in turn-of-the-last-century Indiana and discusses visual arts in the 19th and early 20th century American south, a time and place that, until recently, was regarded as a cultural wasteland. American Art: Thoughts of a Collector is valuable both as a captivating narrative of one man’s experiences in the world of art and as an informative reference work.