Vivian's Case for Real Estate and Art – What's in Fashion, Sells!

Parviz Tanavoli’s Heesch 1972, Bronze and Wood base

Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism, Futurism, Surrealism and on and on! The “ISM”s are created by both art critics and artists alike. We like to categorize and box in to make sense of what it is that we are doing and seeing. These categorizations have been generally connected to geographical areas before the internet opened up a global art community.

The exhibit at the Rollins Art Museum “Modernism: Iranian, Turkish, and Indian Art – 1960’s –1970’s” sets the stage of work not recognized during that period. “Modernism” influenced a generation of artists. These artists were relatively unknown to the Western art society because of their geographical community.

The collector, Abby Webb Grey, amassed hundredths of works by artists in countries outside of western society. She saw the value and she benefitted from it, but it was certainly not the fashion in art collecting at the time. Art collections are often driven by a collective competition to own a certain artist or ‘ism’ at any given time.

When she was ready to find a home for this massive collection, she had some difficulty getting a museum to accept the works. Perhaps it was not inline with the focus of their museum, or maybe it was not the fashion of what was expected to see at those institutions. Fortunately, a bond was made between Mrs. Grey and a New York City University professor whose focus was the artwork created in those far-reaching countries. The Abby Weed Grey Collection at NYU was established in 1974. https://greyartgallery.nyu.edu/2016/05/abby-weed-grey-collection-modern-asian-middle-eastern-art/

For years now, homes for sale have the fashionable grey walls. Oh No! I did not intentionally connect Ms. Grey’s collection and the grey walls, but I’m amused. The color grey has dominated every new home for sale with their ubiquitous wood-look ceramic tile or luxury vinyl flooring. Again, in those grey tones! It is changing, but slowly. It was not long ago that planning community’s names were Tuscan and Venetian influenced. That Italian architectural influence was fashionable, now designers use the term, “deTuscanize” to undo what was once the fashion. Bottomline, what’s in fashion sells. If you are going for a home that was built to look like the set of the “Game of Thrones”, or a Venetian palace, you may get a good deal. Mrs. Grey looked outside the Western culture to support artists that were not sought after by every other collector, and look how she changed our world by opening our global knowledge, pre-internet! You too could purchase a gem for another time to be recognized, whether art or a home.

Vivian’s Case for Real Estate and Art – What’s in Fashion, Sells!