Thursday, April 21, 2011

Fall Into The Gap- Don & Doris Fisher And Their Wonderful Collection

It would be pretty hard to find  more significant collectors and contributors to contemporary modern art in America than Donald and Doris Fisher. The couple, founders of the iconographic Gap clothing company, have been meticulously building one of the best art collections in the world over the past thirty five plus years. Their collection includes some of the most influential artist of the 20th century, including 21 works by Andy Warhol, over a dozen pieces from Roy Lichtenstein, and contributions from Robert Rauschenburg, Agnes Martin, Alexander Calder, Chuck Close, and sculptor Richard Serra, just to name a few. Their collection is unique in that it consists of a wide range of works by a particular artist whose style they admired, making for a collection of over 1,100 works of art which encompass a wide range of stylistic development in some the artists over their careers. For an example, I have included two works of art below by famed pop artist Andy Warhol....


The "Triple Elvis" silkscreen print dates circa 1963, while the "Nine Multicolored Marylins dates circa 1976-1986, which encompasses more than 20 years of artist development by 1 artist. I could go on for pages to discuss the stylist differences between the two, but I will return my focus back to their patrons.
The fact that the Fishers have their own gallery, the Gap Gallery in San Francisco, begins my fascination with money and  the collection of fine art. It is no secret the Gap has a valuation of roughly $3.3 billion dollars, which allows plenty of available cash for funding and patronizing the arts. This however, I believe begins the discussion of the ripple effect a powerful art collector can have on the modern art world. The notion that the Fishers were willing to pay top dollar collecting certain artists they appreciated probably has inflated the auction prices of those same artists because they have become "sought after" by prestigious collectors with large pockets. To add to the exclusivity of the collection, it is only viewable to Gap employees, art historians of merit, and the "who's who" in art curating and brokering. The Gap gallery is accessible only by swipe card, which suggests a sense of prominence and importance to not only the collected, but to the people who have access to the gallery. IT is a VIP collection suited for viewing by VIP clientele. An interesting concept on art, viewer, and patron in the 21st century.
That's all for now..... Until next time.

- S.Marty McLaughlin

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