Pop star Elton John and his partner David Furnish own the greatest privately held collection of 20th century photography, according to London’s Independent. The newspaper wonders if John’s collection — which will be displayed at the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art in September — is an indication that celebrity collectors have too much influence over today’s art world.
The Independent’s Andrew Johnson, dubbing celebrities like John the “new Medicis,” asserts:
Not everyone is appreciative of the new Medicis … Mutterings in the art world accuse them of driving up prices by competing against each other — pricing out public galleries, which now face historical gaps in collections…
The art critic Brian Sewell said: “I think it’s sheer vanity. Most of them know [bleep] about art.”
John’s photography collection includes 2,500 images by artists ranging from Pablo Picasso to Man Ray and Robert Mapplethorpe.
(Photograph by Lee Allen.)
May 7th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Who says this is the greatest private photographic collection? The article by Andrew Johnson is pure British puff.