Property from the Collection of Sirje Helder Gold and Michael O. Gold
For Michael and Sirje Gold, collecting art is both a passion and a way of life. The two began collecting almost immediately after their marriage in 1968, having met while working in the advertising industry in New York City. The birth of their special collection began with works by Sirje’s fellow students at the Pratt Institute, gradually evolving into a diverse collection of sculpture, painting and photography that “talked to each one of us”, as Sirje explained. In fact, it was their rapidly growing art collection that informed many of the architectural decisions the couple made as they built beautiful homes in Connecticut and Los Angeles, structures that were not only homes, but tribute spaces to the artists whom they collected and loved.
Having resided on both coasts, the Golds have lived in the art capitals of America, acquiring works ranging from the crafts and designs of local artists in Connecticut to those by emerging Contemporary artists in Los Angeles, where Michael and Sirje became most involved with the art scene. As Michael recalled of his initial move out west, it was only within a matter of the first year that he filled his Southern California cottage from floor to ceiling with new acquisitions. Sirje joined Michael long-term seven years after his arrival, and the two remained in Los Angeles for 10 more years, where they lived in their renovated Spanish Colonial. During this time, the Golds became some of the most active members of the Los Angeles art community, serving on the advisory and founding boards of numerous non-profit art organizations including Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), LAXArt and Fellows of Contemporary Art (FOCA).
Many of the following lots were acquired during those Los Angeles years, including works by younger and mid-career emerging L.A. artists like Kevin Appel, Monique Prieto and Raffi Kalenderian. As Michael recalled, he first saw Appel’s work at the 1995 UCLA Masters Program thesis show, and bought A Living Room with Oranges (lot 28) directly from the artist’s studio, before Appel had gallery representation. In addition to the Gold’s dedicated support of local talent, often resulting in intimate relationships with the artists they collected, Sirje described an aesthetic quality that spans the works in their diverse collection: “The hand of the artist in the work is very much a part of the idea… Lots of conceptual art is not executed by the hand of the artist, for my personal taste I really like to see the hand of it” (Sirje Gold, quoted in A. Moret, "All That Glitters is Gold", Installation Magazine, August 23, 2014, p. 79). This focus is clearly discernible in works such as Yoshitomo Nara’s charming Untitled (Irgendwo Steinebergen als Tragbild) (lot 36) and Kurt Kauper’s striking portrait Diva Fiction #10 (lot 30).
Perhaps the most impressive is the Gold’s effortless incorporation of the works into their homes, allowing the works to permeate into their everyday lives. During an interview in their Hancock Park house in Los Angeles in 2007, Michael reflected on the amusing placement of celebrated body artist Ana Mendieta’s work Untitled (Glass on Body Imprints) (lot 37) in their house: “‘Before, we had the Mendieta piece out here,’ Michael recalls cheerfully, from the calmly formal dining area. ‘You’d be eating your meal while looking at body parts’” (Michael Gold, quoted in “Gold Standard: For L.A. Collectors Sirje and Michael Gold, Home Is Where the Art Is”, art ltd, March 2007, p. 68).
Phillips is thrilled to have the opportunity to offer works from the Collection of Sirje Helder Gold and Michael O. Gold this season, a collection as unique in its personality and passion as the Golds themselves.