RADAR 3 Publication Date: December 3, 2002 Collecting: An Ungovernable Passion Collecting allows you and yours to commune with art in the quiet of your home. Good collections are born of love—and knowledge: I like to say that every art collector has two collections, the art and the books about the art. Don't collect as if artworks were stock certificates; those who buy for investment frequently end up with the shallowest collections. Never buy with the ear instead of the eye. Don't give in because dealers or critics claim an artist is about to have an important show or that so and so is buying the work. If the art does not make you swoon, or make sense to you from an art historical perspective, it's not worth getting. Other artists and curators are the best sources for information about an artist. Van Gogh sold only two paintings to the public during his lifetime, but Gauguin loved his work; Milton Avery sold only half a dozen paintings but Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb gave eulogies at his funeral. Every work you purchase should evoke the "wow factor:" visual impact, cultural importance, physical beauty, conceptual elan. There are more artists alive today than in all of history combined—you should be able to find work that appeals to you, and also to art historians, critics, and other artists. Michael Salcman