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Elton John and Partner: The New Medicis of Photography?
Posted By Scott Baradell On July 15, 2007 @ 10:00 pm In Art of Photography | 1 Comment
Pop star Elton John and his partner David Furnish own the greatest privately held collection of 20th century photography, according to London’s Independent [2]. The newspaper wonders if John’s collection — which will be displayed at the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art [3] 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 [4].)
[tags]Elton John, photography collectors[/tags]
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[2] Independent: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2771018.ece
[3] Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art: http://www.balticmill.com/about/index.php
[4] Lee Allen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/image_galleries/image_galleries_events_elton_john_concert_may05_gallery.shtml?1
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1 Comment To "Elton John and Partner: The New Medicis of Photography?"
#1 Comment By mrstock On May 7, 2008 @ 8:34 am
Who says this is the greatest private photographic collection? The article by Andrew Johnson is pure British puff.