"The Collector's Perspective: The Henry and Sharon Martin Collection" as featured in The Collector's Series, Issue Four: Condition and Conservation
The Henry and Sharon Martin Collection
Collectors Henry and Sharon Martin have a passionate interest in building a premiere collection of nineteenth-century American art. Their commitment to and expertise in paintings of the Hudson River School was celebrated in the 2005 exhibition For Spacious Skies, Hudson River School Paintings from the Henry and Sharon Martin Collection at the New Britain Museum of American Art and the National Academy of Design. Mr. Martin recently shared his thoughts on condition and conservation in an interview with Questroyal Fine Art.
1. How and when did you begin collecting?
We started collecting about thirty years ago and our initial focus was eighteenth-century British portraits. We took great satisfaction in that, after living with the portraits for quite a while, we would still get something new out of each work the very next time we looked at it. Initially, I attributed this experience to the human form and the character of the faces. But as we looked at more art over time, we became aware that the concept of seeing something new in a painting, no matter how many times you looked at it, was more a definition of what good art is, and so, we began associating this characteristic with all types of art. Sharon and I always loved landscapes because we spend a lot of time outdoors. We also love nineteenth-century American history. Thus, about fifteen years ago, we decided to transition into collecting nineteenth-century American landscape.
2. How did you learn about issues of condition when you began collecting?
What role does condition and conservation play in your collecting process?
The key is to have people that you can trust to guide you, especially when you're beginning. After a while you become aware of the three-pronged aspect of how to evaluate a painting. One is the aesthetic way a painting relates to you. Number two is condition and number three is the place of the painting within the artist's body of work. These are three things we always consider when acquiring works of art.
3. What questions should a collector ask when examining the condition of possible acquisitions?
The first thing I think one should ask is for the person representing the painting to present his report of the work's condition. Then I would validate that with my own investigation by looking at the painting under various angles of light, with a blacklight, and looking at the back to see whether it is line.
4. How much restoration are you willing to forgive when making an acquisition?
I don't believe you can make a general rule of thumb; obviously, the less the better. I think it's situational or case specific. For instance, one would be more forgiving based upon a painting's rarity and the difficulty of finding a work by a particular artist. In general, we don't want to see too much in-painting, and we certainly don't want to see a painting that is flattened due to a prior restoration.
Additional Question: What does the term "flattened" refer to?
This term is used when a painting is re-lined in a less than satisfactory way. A lot of re-lining that occurred thirty to fifty years ago was not done as carefully as it is today (and with the improved equipment that is available today). Older lining methods tended to flatten impasto to a certain degree because the restorer would press the lining on. This can be distracting when you're looking at a painting, since it's not what the artist intended.
5. What condition issues have you frequently encountered in your collecting experience?
I think the most frequent situation I have seen is in the restoration of paint-loss. Sometimes there is un-necessary restoration that can occur if a conservator who is restoring paint-loss doesn't have sufficient expertise. In his effort to blend what he's adding to the original painting, he can often make the area he is repairing larger than necessary. I have seen instances where prior restorations have been substantially reduced by an expert restorer who can minimize areas of in-painting required to correct paint-loss.
Additional Question: And so, if someone restores a work, they can then go back in and remove it?
All ethical restorers are supposed to ensure that everything they do to a painting, whether it is mechanical in the area of re-lining or aesthetic in the area of in-painting, is reversible, so that the painting can be returned to its original, pre-restored state. Thus, while you wouldn't want to over do it, bad restorations can be corrected.
6. How can a collector protect art in their home?
The main thing we have done is to make adaptations in the areas of light and humidity control. All rooms where our paintings hang have been fitted with window glass that permits minimal ultra-violet ray penetration, so that UV damage from the sun does not impact our paintings. In regards to the humidity - it is very difficult to keep a home at the proper humidity levels for paintings, especially during the winter time when the heat is on. We try to keep our home at a humidity level of forty percent or higher. To do that, we have installed a commercial steam humidity system.
7. In general, what advice would you give beginning collectors?
I think the most important thing is to do your homework, which consists of two parts. One, go look at a lot of art. There is no number of books that you can read or people you can talk to that will compare to just looking at art yourself. The second thing I would advise is to network to people who are knowledgeable and with whom you can develop relationships that lead to trust. You will be able to get their advice related to specific works that you are interested in..
8. In your opinion, how can beginning collectors build a quality American art collection at this point in time?
I would argue that the best thing to do is to buy the very best paintings that you can afford. I strongly believe that it is better to buy one great painting versus two good paintings for the same amount of money.
