Beyond Fame, the Art of Intuitive Collecting
Joseph and Jana Roussel speak at ACM-IAU.
In my Master’s Forum class with Dean Yumna, we often get the chance to hear from speakers from a range of different artistic fields. On September 25, we got the special opportunity of welcoming and meeting two inspirational guests, art collectors Joseph and Jana Roussel. As someone not as familiar with the world of art collecting, their talk was an enlightening experience and left me with a much more profound knowledge of the importance and roles that art collectors hold in the art world.
Jana Roussel showing works from the collection.
Joseph and Jana gave our class new perspectives on what it means to build an art collection leading with heart, intuition, and perseverance, whether that be in collecting sculptures, photography, paintings, or drawings. Instead of following trends or collecting works done by well-known names, Joseph and Jana collect what speaks to them, “pretty things,” as they put it, across diverse disciplines, cultures, and mediums. They made the point in saying they are not dealers, artists, art historians, or curators, but passionate supporters of artists, especially those who are lesser known. Knowing there are collectors out there who value the discovery of new artists gave me and my classmates hope for our own works and art practice going forward.
The Roussel's talk focused on three main questions: What is fame? Why does it matter? And is there a recipe for it? These questions brought on many discussions and open debates, especially when our class was asked if we wanted to be famous. To my surprise, everyone in class said no, either preferring recognition for their work rather than personal celebrity or praise, or becoming well known anonymously, both views I enjoyed and deeply shared.
Master of Fine Arts and Master of Art History students debate the ingredients of fame!
Two artworks that the collectors brought in that really stood out to me included a mixed media elephant painting that they found at a flea market by artist Decebal, and a more vibrant piece by Christophe depicting a man playing an instrument with two more abstracted figures in frame, discovered during a gallery visit on the couple’s anniversary. Their genuine approach to art collecting taught me that art is about connection rather than credentials or status.
When I asked what draws them to their choices in the items they collect, they simply said, “whatever speaks to us.” Their dedication and desire to remember and uplift artists, famous or not, left a lasting impression I will take throughout my life.