MAA: Can you share a bit about your professional journey?
VB: When I was four years old, my parents custom built a home in Pennsylvania. I accompanied them to the construction site every day and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our homes always had leading shelter magazines. Also, we had a fabulous interior designer named Ethel Baum, who taught me so much about design and architecture as a young woman. My parents were always seeking out exciting artisans and artists regionally to include in the design of their home, so accompanying them on roadtrips around the mid Atlantic states was something I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, my uncle, who lived nearby was a metal sculptor who created beautiful chandeliers, free standing art, wall mounted sculptures and mobiles.
In high school I decided I wanted to be in NYC, so I went to Barnard (Columbia University) as an American Studies major and architecture minor and spent Fridays at Robert A.M. Stern architects making models. After graduation I went to Princeton University for my Masters in Architecture, which was an intense three year program with an emphasis on critical thinking. After grad school, I moved to Charleston, SC for 3 years, and then moved back to NYC, bought an apartment in Soho and worked for Robert A. M. Stern for 20 years. I worked for amazing clients on exceptional projects including 15 Central Park West.
MAA: What sparked your interest in collecting fine art?
My mother was the longest running student at the Hazleton, PA Arts League. We would always help her during events there and we took art classes. Mom regularly brought us to museums in Washington, D.C. and I was always making art as young woman. My uncle, the artist, inspired me. When I moved to Manhattan I was surrounded by galleries and world class museums. All of my friends are artists and architects and designers - I am such a visual person. My close friends would say that extends into my personal style too.
MAA: How do you approach collecting art?
Peter Lane ceramic art wall
VB: My art is honestly, primarily friends and family. Peter Lane is a dear friend. I used to collect a lot of figurative art work. Steve Keene - his paintings are fun. He painted multiples for me. I like architectural drawings. I enjoy a variety of art which I believe gives a depth and personalization to an art collection. The most I have ever spent on a work of art for myself is from Bill Charmatz. In my home in Charleston, I have pieced together an American civil war art and objects collection which adorns the Breakfast room.
Recently, one of my architecture clients asked me to curate a portrait gallery in their stair/entry hall, which I am very excited about. They, like me, enjoy a range of styles of art.
Art should enliven a space, and I actually feel sorry for people who do not have art.
Steve Keene album cover art and multiples
MAA: What have you learned from collecting art that you didn’t know before, either about art itself or about your own tastes?
VB: Architecture and Art enhance each other. Art can define and transform architectural spaces. Art elevates a space. When I was starting out, I did not understand Frank Gehry's work. Now I strongly appreciate and admire various architectural approaches and styles such as Santiago Calatrava who designed part of the new World Trade Center, and Daniel Liebeskind, Eero and Eliel Saarinen, Edwin Lutyens, and of course Palladio.
MAA: What challenges have you encountered as a new art collector?
VB: If I could, I would buy a Richard Serra steel sculpture or an Alexander Calder sculpture. I find their work infinitely fresh and mesmerizing. I always pull out a Calder book when I need to feel creative. My library is entirely art and architecture. My books are so important to me, I never feel lonely when I am with my beautiful books.
MAA: How do you navigate the art market and ensure you're making informed decisions?
VB: My advisor, who dedicates her time to specializing in the art market, is who I rely on for advice and expertise. Plus, I enjoy tagging along with her to artist studios and museum previews. She has become a lifelong friend.
MAA: Do you have any advice for someone who is just starting to collect fine art, especially in relation to incorporating it into their living space?
VB: Yes, I do! Student art is great way to start familiarizing yourself with what's new.
This is where top gallerists troll for the next big thing. MFA students open studios at art schools. Prints are also a good way to buy inexpensive works from well known artists. I believe in exceeding your budget on one important artwork for your home, you will not regret it! Buy what speaks to you. Not everyone buys art with the intention to flip it.
MAA: Is there a piece in your collection that holds special significance to you? Can you share the story behind it?
VB: I really like the Steve Keene work. I learned about him when I was in grad school and I commissioned him to do a big project which I love to this day. Now he is in permanent collections of museums nationally. And I love Peter Lane's ceramic fireplace surround that he made for me. Check out his new monograph. I love his sculpture and above all I adore him as a person. Lovely man! For more information www.victoriabaran.com and www.peterlaneclay.com
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