Collectors
open their homes to art lovers to promote Expo Chicago
A Juan Munoz sculpture greets guests
entering Larry and Marilyn Fields' apartment.
Wide-open, white walls and the lack of clutter give the feeling of being in an
art gallery.
Then Ms. Fields asks you to wait a moment
while she takes a cake out of the oven, and you know you're in their home — an
elegant, modern apartment in Streeterville overlooking Lake Michigan in a
high-rise designed by Lucien Lagrange.
The Fieldses are among a select group of
wealthy Chicago art collectors opening their homes this week to international
collectors, dealers and gallery owners for Expo Chicago.
The international modern art show, which is
back at Navy Pier after eight years, wants to compete with the big boys of art
shows, Art Basel Miami Beach and the Armory Show in New York.
The Chicago fair will have 100-plus
exhibitors, but to stay in the game it needs good, solid buzz.
Wednesday's opening-night gala (see more on Page 39) and an exclusive VIP party Friday
will do much to fuel the chatter. But the best buzz comes from hard-core art
owners.
"People like to see what other people
are collecting. It's very competitive," says Howard Tullman, president and CEO of Tribeca
Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, who is offering four tours of his collection at
his River West home and office.
Other collectors hosting gatherings are Lewis and Susan Manilow and Jack and Sandra Guthman, all collectors
active on Chicago's civic scene.
At the Fieldses' apartment last week,
workers put finishing touches on walls before hanging artwork. The couple's
collection includes a rotating selection of paintings, drawings, photography
and sculptures.
Guests to the Fieldses' home this week will
see works by Christopher Wool, Damien Hirst, George Condo and Richard Prince. Chicago artists Kerry James Marshall, Theaster
Gates, Nick Cave and William O'Brien also will be
showcased.
Larry and Marilyn Fields.
"We went to the first Miami Basel and that grabbed us," says Mrs.
Fields. "We were like kids in the candy store. . . . It's an
addiction." Photo:
Erik Unger
One of their favorites is a reflective
sphere embedded in the wall by Anish Kapoor, the artist of Millennium Park's "Cloud Gate," or
"jelly bean," as Mr. Fields calls it. "It's fun. Even kids who
might not understand it want to put their heads in there. It draws you
in."
Another favorite part of the home is a
hallway with family photos on one side and four giant, colorful abstracts,
representing each family member's DNA.
Mr. Fields is a commodities trader and
she's a former educator. They lived in a Lincoln Park Victorian until their son
and daughter moved out on their own.
In 1998, Ms. Fields joined the women's
board of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Two years later, the couple purchased
two adjoining apartments with the plan to make a home that showcases art.
"We went to the first Miami Basel and
that grabbed us. We were like kids in the candy store," Ms. Fields says.
"That was the beginning and it hasn't stopped. It's an addiction."
In 2003, they purchased the third unit on
the floor, which is now a combined guest apartment and gallery for their edgier
art. Fashion designer Todd Oldham once slept on the Murphy bed, which serves as a backdrop to
photographer Joel Sternfeld's "Exhausted
Renegade Elephant" when it's folded up.
"Once someone walks into this room,
even if you never thought art had any relevance, you walk in and say, 'Wow,
tell me about this. Contemporary art isn't what I thought it was.' It opens up
people and their minds to a whole different emphasis," Ms. Fields says.
This week, though, it will be lovers of modern art who will be wandering
through the house and enjoying easy finger food that you can pop in your mouth
without making a mess.
There will be plenty of water, bubbly and
white wine. No red.
Even art lovers can have accidents.
Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120915/ISSUE01/309159973/collectors-open-their-homes-to-art-lovers-to-promote-expo-chicago#ixzz26djGvQDr
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