Artists Living With Art

Most are accustomed to seeing the masterpieces of 20th century art hung on carefully calibrated gallery walls at the likes of MoMA, Tate Modern and the Centre Pompidou. Far fewer have had the luxury of seeing work incorporated in private domestic collections. Artists Living With Art aims to change that.

A new monograph by Stacey Goergen and Amanda Benchley with photographs by Oberto Gili from publisher Abrams, Artists Living With Art opens the doors to the homes of twenty nine artists, showing how art fits within their lives and living spaces. 

"Artists who collect [...] generally fall into two categories," Robert Storr, Dean of Yale University’s School of Art, writes in the book’s forward. "First come those who can't resist owning things that catch their eye,” second are "those who immerse themselves sequentially in specific types of work or periods in art history." While both archetypes are represented in the 272-page monograph, among the most arresting homes are those that pair artwork with other storied objects.

Photograph by Oberto Gili courtesy of Abrams.

“The Saarinen Table reminds me of a cake stand.”

—Will Cotton

For instance, there’s Will Cotton—known for his cotton-candy cover for Katy Perry’s platinum-selling debut Teenage Dream—who picked up the Saarinen Dining Table and Bertoia Side Chairs in his live-work loft at an estate sale in Oyster Bay for a total of fifty dollars. “They’d been used as outdoor pool furniture and had some wear,” he says of their past life, “but I liked the patina.”

Photograph by Oberto Gili courtesy of Abrams.

He was drawn to the Saarinen Dining Table for its resemblance to a prop often seen in his confectionery-inspired paintings and sculptures. “The Saarinen Table reminds me of a cake stand," Cotton says, matter of factly, explaining the precariously tall Cake sculptures found nearby. As for the room’s color palette, Cotton continues, “I’ve kept most of the colors in my live-work space neutral, or as close to white as possible, so as not to interfere with the colors in my paintings.” In the rear, the two teak and cane arm chairs are by Knoll designer Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier’s cousin, who designed them for the experimental Indian city of Chandigarh to furnish bureaucratic buildings and offices. Here, they introduce wooded tones that harmonize with the ceiling's exposed beams.

“Artists who collect generally fall into two categories, those who can't resist owning things that catch their eye, and those who immerse themselves sequentially in specific periods of art history.”

—Robert Storr

Photograph by Oberto Gili courtesy of Abrams.

The contemporary Italian painter Francesco Celemente’s home is demonstrative of a different approach. Isamu Noguchi's Cyclone™ Dining and Side Tables repose with wooden chairs designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The ensemble is anchored by the Cy Twombly drawing that hangs above the mantle and flanked by artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The metallic cats cradle-like bases that join the surfaces of Noguchi’s tables appear at one with the untidy scrawl of Twombly and graffiti-inspired draftsmanship of Basquiat.

For purchasing information on Artists Living With Art, visit Abrams’ website.

All photographs are coutesy of Harry Abrams unless otherwise noted.