Collecting with Heart, not Money in Mind

Not only water, but also extreme openness rained upon us yesterday as we were invited into the home of a private collector. Part of the "Discovering Salzburg" tours, we had the pleasure to be led through the spacious rooms of what can only be called a castle. The collector couple had even prepared themselves beforehand and willingly gave information on their treasures, a colorful mix of contemporary and traditional works.

Their passion became tangible as they would spare most of the facts and instead told with beaming faces why they bought a certain painting, photograph or sculpture. As they sum it up themselves, "Collecting is not a planned action for us. We see something we like - and it always has to be the two of us - and we buy it. It's not a calculated decision, but one from the gut, driven by passion." They add that, when they moved to their new residence 2 years ago, they were excited about a more minimalistic lifestyle, looking forward to having bare walls. "Then we went to our depot and were so happy to rediscover our treasures we hadn't seen while living in a hotel for a year. So, up they went." says the collector while motioning towards their heavily decorated walls. " We love our art, we don't need facts and dates and biographies of the creators, or estimates on how much they will be worth down the line. We simply want to enjoy it, to live with it." In that, they succeed with ease.

We would once again like to thank the collectors for opening their home to us, it was a great pleasure for everybody. The next exploration will take place on Tuesday, the 26th of july. We can only hope to receive a welcome as nice as we did yesterday.                                                                                       mp