- I hope so. Artists need a lot of collectors, all sorts of collectors who will buy their stuff.
- And you did not spoil the life of anyone, criticizing all of his work?
- I do not buy art to make happy artists, as well, and do not sell work in order to disappoint them. Are not you melodramatic?
Diamond skull of Damien Hirst "For this is the love of God." Photo AFP
- Close to your love of art, especially Renaissance or related to the Bible, to God?
- Seems to me that God must be very unhappy with their work. Humanity has proved decisively unable to evolve over the years, we are all the same idiots and barbarians, they were many centuries ago, and the poor, God is probably shaking his head all day, watching our vileness and general worthlessness. However, perhaps we amused him. But, of course, I hope that the Lord like our art enough to forgive us our sins. Especially mine.
- Who are the artists was your most pleasant discovery?
- I was so fortunate that over the years has seen many artists early in their path, and could say that it was "pleased" to open it. But I have "discovered" a lot of artists, to which no one except me, was not the case, and their career took shape very slowly, if at all folded. So I just do not possess an infallible gift of detecting the winners. But it would be fair to say that I bought of Cindy Sherman in the first exhibition of her participation ... I got most of the works from the first exhibition of Jeff Koons ... But all this bragging, but really, I missed as much good artists, as found.
- Is it true that it is better to invest in paintings than in the shark in formaldehyde? Hirst shark somehow poduvyala now, but the canvas by Peter Doig is good as well as ten years ago, and restore it will be easier.
- The investments are no rules. Sharks are good, and feces artists too. Oil on canvas, too, fail. There is always a team of restorers, to look after the fact that the artist considered it art.
- What is the British art of the early XXI century will be the price of a hundred years? Who will survive the test of time?
- Introductory books on art in 2105 would be just as ruthless to the end of XX century, as all previous centuries. All but Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Donald Judd and Damien Hirst, will fall only in the footnotes.
It is worth noting - all artists who are in his repertoire))) All the rest will be in circulation)))
- If you ordered a portrait of himself, in what technique?
- I szhuyu canvas rather than give myself to write on it.
- Are you pushing their children to study your collection, and to march to museums and galleries?
- My kids think that having anything to do with my gallery - it's not cool. But the shop in the gallery they like.
of his children, he cares, and does not show the cows and lambs in formalin -))
- Whether countries should spend money to save the old masters to the people, or to buy the work of the new generation?
- At the risk of being lynched by a crowd of people of art, I still say that there is no great need to save pictures from the new art. What is the difference, where hang Titian - National Gallery, the Louvre or the Uffizi? It is not XVIII century, people are traveling, and need not be a nationalist to the treasures of world art. Is important to support living artists.
- What is your favorite museum?
- Madrid Prado. I love Goya. And this museum is so unpretentious, so he obviously likes to show his numerous masterpieces very modestly, that every visit there only reinforces my belief in the intrinsic value of art.
- True, pictures with circles [Damien Hirst] similar to the wallpaper?
- I can say is that Rothko's paintings look like nice rugs. There is nothing wrong in the decorative arts.
About the artists
Studying the great works of art, you will probably find that the artist was a kind of genius. And geniuses are different from you and me. So let's leave the talk of temperamental, is absorbed and absurd babies. A good artist - the most difficult work, which only you can choose, and do so only slightly crazy people. I love them all.
On collectors
No matter how suspicious of their motives, whatever they are climbing up the social ladder, as it not make sense nor were their efforts to beautify the walls, I was fascinated by the fact that rich people from time to time to buy contemporary art, rather than race horses, antique cars , jewelry or yacht. Without them, the art world would have led the State ...
The critics
Art criticism from some British newspapers could easily spend my life working in sections about gardening or traveling. This is because that newspaper editors do not spend much time on the reviews section and generally not very interested in art. And it turns out that we critics fall into an ecstasy of product respectability which adopted by consensus, and first-class exhibition. Ten years ago, they did not pay attention to the artist or ridiculed his
