Artful Collecting
A new book by Karen McCartney explores the ‘had to have it’ passions that inform the homes of collectors here and abroad.
The Alchemy of Things is a book about collections and collectors, but not in the way you might imagine. While the subtitle is ‘Interiors shaped by curious minds’, it could equally be ‘Those with collecting in their DNA ’, as it seems to be a deeply ingrained impulse in many of the featured homeowners. Exploring the collectors’ personal histories, it is clear that the desire to collect is something inherent, something practised from an early age, a drive within them that has morphed and shifted, gathering nuance and depth as time has passed. All are extremely knowledgeable and buy accordingly, but there is often more heart than head involved in a purchase, with admissions that the sense of ‘had to have it’ overrode practical emotions.
What these collectors don’t do is obsessively zone in on one item. There are no instances of one particular fetish – no walls covered in licence plates or shelves filled with snow globes, for example. Rather, their passions span different design eras, made liveable with the addition of a modern piece or two. But just when you have a handle on their style, they throw you off the scent with something unexpected from the 1970s, or even 1870s.
It is this dynamism of the unexpected that creates all sorts of decorating dualities. For example, in the Paris apartment of Michael Coorengel and Jean-Pierre Calvagrac there is a 19thcentury bed in which Napoleon once slept. It’s topped with an array of cushions, one of which – a bright orange banana – was designed by Andy Warhol. Closer to home, Sydney gallerist Don Cameron has a creative brain set to overdrive as he seeks out pieces as rare as they are diverse. Only in Don’s oeuvre can a cluster of Vico Magistretti floor lamps, a panel from an Angolan initiation hut, a Gothic statue of Jesus and a 1970s tiled table by Roger Capron comfortably share the same space.
One of the most passionate collectors in the book is Didier Krzentowski of Galerie Kreo, whose Paris apartment overlooks the Eiffel Tower. Didier is philosophical about the relationship between collecting and neurosis. “I have always been a collector, since I was very young, starting with keychains,” he says. >
While the intensity of his collecting is most likely the same today, the nature and value of his collections have expanded exponentially to include contemporary art, photography and design, as well as vintage lighting, a subject on which he is a twice-published author.
Didier’s wife and business partner Clémence is no less passionate. She draws a comparison between collecting and completing a puzzle where there is a ‘treasure hunt’ to find the rare, elusive pieces required to fill the gaps.
Two other remarkable homes in the book, both located in Australia, are those of Rodney De Soos and Geoffrey Hatty. The men are friends and, while Rodney is retired, Geoffrey is still very much in the game of dealing vintage furniture. Both know when something is good, even if it never finds a buyer, and both have kept pieces they love, with and without pedigree.
While curatorial know-how is one thing, Rodney and Geoffrey also understand how to place objects, art and furniture together for effects that are often theatrical, empathetic and beautiful. The word ‘stylist’ can sound superficial, but their instinct for placement soars above the prosaic, as they find visual commonalities in all sorts of pieces, regardless of their provenance or monetary value. Herein lies the alchemy.
‘Decorating’ as a term doesn’t really do the featured interiors justice; the rooms are often the result of a lifetime of acquisition, care or a devil-may-care approach to space and the things that inhabit it. This book does not deliver ‘how-tos’ or ‘ideas to steal’, although, of course, you are welcome to do so. It is more an attitude, a sense of freedom and permission that can be absorbed and applied in a new personal way.
The takeaway is that, with care and conviction, an interior can be anything you want it to be. ‘Care’ is about informing yourself and buying from a position of knowledge; ‘conviction’ is having the courage to surround yourself with what pleases you. To quote Rodney: “Letting someone into your house is like allowing them to read your diary – your obsessions become apparent.” An interior should be so personal that it exposes your passions, quirks and interests. Collections play a key role in revealing who we are and what we love. #
The Alchemy of Things by Karen McCartney, $59.99, published by Murdoch Books.