Exclusive interview of Benjamin Macklowe, Macklowe Gallery’s President,

How was it, when you were a child, to live and play surrounded by antiques?

I was a very energetic child and was convinced I would play first base for the New York Yankees when I grew up, so my parents had every right to be nervous about me. They were so smart to do the opposite. Our living room had open shelves on which were perched the most delicate Ti any flower form vases, lamps by Louis Majorelle with glass shades by Daum Nancy, marqueterie-sur-verre creations by Emile Gallé, and I never broke a thing. I learned at an early age to gaze in wonder at these creations, and to be my normal rambunctious kid outside or in the rest of the house.

What's the most valuable life lesson you have learned from your parents, founders of the Macklowe Gallery?

My parents have been married nearly 54 years, so I have learned many life lessons from them. But now that I am a father the lesson that is strongest to me is how they were always united in their approach to me and my sister, never allowing us to drive a wedge between them with our requests, agendas, etc.

Why investing into antiques is still relevant today, where our lives are constantly surrounded by technological objects?

Handcrafted beauty transcends the banality of our disposable era. Collecting antiques is an antidote to the rootlessness of the technological age. By the very nature of touching the pieces, it brings you beyond the here and now. By learning about them and taking them home, it places some part of your consciousness in the moment in which it was made. For instance, in 1900 less than 10% of the USA was electrified, which really changes how someone in 2018 looks at a Ti any lamp. It's no longer just beautiful, it was revolutionary.

You are involved in art education and give frequent lectures about Art Nouveau. How is it important to teach the new generations?

Without new people believing in the value of beauty, we're all in the dumps. Very few people, young or mature, really know what Art Nouveau was, why or how it came into existence, nor how if a ected all the worlds of design to follow. My mission is to get people to see this, to understand its context, and then they will be in the position to decide "Do I like this?". Of course, once we know about something, over time we tend to like it much more, that is why I am always looking to get Art Nouveau and Ti any in front of the new generations?

How do you see the Macklowe Gallery in 30 years?

Hopefully still prosperous! We will always remain faithful to Fin-de-Siècle design, but in the years to come I will broaden our collection to other periods (including contemporary design) and media (including painting and largescale sculpture) that cohere into Macklowe Gallery's larger narrative. That is, that beauty has utility.

Macklowe Gallery 445 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022