through my work as an art handler i get a glimpse of what artists are popular with new york's collectors. every home must have a prince, hirst and warhol. the art advisor and interior decorators or the city seem to agree that these guys are must haves. a tiffany's add or nurse painting, butterfly painting and celebrity silk screen are the starting works for new york's rich and tasteless. if you have a little more money a rusche, liechtenstein and koons lets all your friends know expensive your decorator is. loud but inoffensive, large and easily forgettable.
every now and then i am caught off guard by someones collection. a giacometti table, a schiele cityscape painting, a freud nude. they are out there, waiting to surprise me just when i think the next naughty nurse painting will push me over the edge.
