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Art is the stuff of life for passionate collector and principal of international art advisory LoveArt, Amanda Love.
ARTISTS WHO HAVE BEEN AN ENDURING INFLUENCE? I’ve been involved in the art world for more than 25 years. So many artists are friends as well as colleagues. Artists such as Tracey Emin [11] or Isaac Julien [12] have become enduring in uences. When one looks at a work of great art, the privilege is being able to eavesdrop on a conversation that the artist is having with themselves, saying things about the world or themselves that I, for instance, would not be strong enough to say to myself. Knowing such artists as people, alongside their practice, is a gift that keeps on giving. CONTEMPORARY ART YOU ADMIRE? One admires different things in different artists. Works in my collection are pieces that cater to my personal taste; that my husband Andrew and I want to live with. The collection aims to benchmark Australian artists with their international peers and includes Tracey Emin, Theaster Gates, Isaac Julien, Olafur Eliasson, Louise Bourgeois, Daniel Boyd, Rosalie Gascoigne, Bronwyn Oliver, Sean Gladwell and Tracey Moffat [4]. Artists one collects are like one’s children. You might love different things in each, but never one more than the other!
FASHION MUST HAVES? A black Junya Watanabe second-skin t-shirt, Fausto Santini boots, gold Vivienne Westwood ‘Animal Toe’ mules, black Birkenstocks and anything Comme des Garçons that’s practical and washable.
FAVOURITE WATCH? I gave up wearing a watch years ago, but I would have a Patek Philippe ‘Calatrava’ [6] – luxury that doesn't announce itself! BEAUTY PRODUCTS YOU LOVE? In the pre-pandemic art world, I spent six months a year travelling, so I want products with extremely active ingredients that I can buy in airports. I’ve been using La Prairie’s ‘Platinum Rare’ range [10] with incredible serums, active peels and redeeming masks. BOOKS WHAT ARE YOU READING? The Yield by Tara June Winch [3], a moving tale of a dispossession that celebrates the past and what has endured from it, while reclaiming Indigenous language, storytelling and identity. Malcolm Turnbull’s autobiography. David Quammen’s Spillover, which examines new diseases (written in 2011 but chillingly prescient). Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
MUSIC WHAT IS ON ROTATION IN THE OFFICE AND AT HOME? Sonic Lockdown by a friend in New York, Harvey Goldberg. My constant calming go-to is Rubinstein Plays Chopin The Nocturnes [5].
FAVOURITE FLOWERS? I’m a “stems, darling, stems … no owers!” type. When indulging I like owers to be white and romantically fragrant, such as gardenias and magnolia grandi ora. In season, peonies are a treat.
BEST DOWNTIME PURSUIT? Listening to the radio in bed. I can multitask while listening to shows like Geraldine Doogue’s Saturday Extra on Radio National. DO YOU ENTERTAIN AT HOME AND WHAT IS YOUR RESTAURANT OF CHOICE? We entertain frequently, serving simple, produce-driven food that we like to eat with good friends, and burgundy from our cellar. Restaurant-wise, we’ve been going to Sean’s Panaroma [9] for more than 30 years. We’re enamoured with Dear Sainte Éloise, and Hotel Centennial is our local. PREFERRED TIPPLE? Just one? De nitely Burgundy pinot noir! I love a gin and soda aperitif made with Hartshorn Sheep Whey Gin from Tasmania. FILMS THAT HAVE INSPIRED YOU? Fantasia. When I was six, I’d never seen anything like it. It still resonates. Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility. We’ve been going through the output of Robert Altman – Nashville, The Long Goodbye [1], The Player, Prêt-à-Porter and Gosford Park [2].
SHOPS YOU FREQUENT? Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market [8]. MAGAZINES YOU READ REGULARLY? Artforum [7], Frieze, Vault, Gagosian, Monocle. DOES YOUR LOVE OF DESIGN EXTEND TO CARS? I’ve given up cars, sold mine and now walk, Uber or y. If I have a car again, it will be tiny, luxurious and powerful … a black Fiat Abarth, perhaps.
TRAVEL FAVOURITE HAUNT AND WHERE IS ON YOUR LIST? It was Venice, for the art or architecture biennale and sometimes for fun and to meet friends. Last year we were to return to the Greek island of Kythira.
AN OBJECT YOU WOULD BUY NOW? Stackable Lobmeyr stemless glasses [13]. PROJECTS YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? The next iteration of Love[for] Art, our lockdown initiative to provide an international platform for young Australian artists. We selected four to install site-speci c works in our tiny guest bathroom, where I would interview them via Zoom. loveart.com