Collector Q&A – Sara Lysgaard

Who do you listen to? Historically collectors were advised by art critics and museum directors / curators. I get the impression this has changed greatly. Who do you go to for advice? Who whispers in your ear?

It's a very personal and introverted feeling I'm after, when seeking out pieces of art to add to my collection. Of course I listen to gallerists and advisors (primarily) but I wouldn’t say they influence me a lot.

They inspire me instead and open my eyes to artworks and artists I wouldn’t have looked for myself. But in the end, it is a very private relationship between me and the artwork, and a gallerist or an artist CV’s can’t influence that. It’s either for me or it’s not.

You have developed a very strong, personal, visual style, in the way you dress and the way you decorate your home. How does art influence this?

Indeed, it’s a small microcosm I have made where the different elements, from design to clothes to art, co-exist but definitely also feed and breathe life into each other. I wouldn’t be able to separate them, they sort of belong together in one big happy mix. But maybe the art world is more a driving force than the other too, since I’m mostly in that sphere.

Does the art you own need to harmonise at home in the way a design object would? Or can it be awkward, outspoken, difficult, disruptive, oppositional? Ugly?

It is so true what people say; that when an artwork ‘messes’ with you a little bit and isn’t too aesthetically pretty, that this will prolong your desire to engage with the piece over longer periods of time - maybe a whole lifetime if you’re lucky.

When art pokes, it’s because there is something there - something unruly, and I like that. I like aesthetics too, without a doubt, but what I find most interesting are the pieces I have in my house that I haven’t figured out yet and hopefully never will.

Does art at home serve a different purpose to art in a public context, in a museum, or a gallery?

I believe it is the same whether art is in public or in private. Art sparks life and energy and thoughts inside the universe that you carry in your own head. It enlightens and opens your mind and sort of distorts what’s already in there, just a tiny bit.

Do you buy art to look at, or to think about?

It depends on the day I’m having. Sometimes I wake up and see a beautiful brushstroke or a fantastic colour and that will be enough to satisfy me for the day. Other times I dig deeper, in a search to understand either the piece or actually myself a bit better, through the work. I think it might be the latter in most cases.

Do you go to museums on your own on a wet Tuesday afternoon?

Yes, absolutely. I prefer to visit shows at galleries or museums on my own. I can hear my own inner state of being better when I’m alone.

Do you need to understand a work to like it?

Absolutely not, that would ruin the “fun”.

Would you support a museum in buying a work that you personally wouldn’t want to own?

Yes, and I have done that and I will continue to do that.

Do you collect with your head or your heart?

My heart. Obviously I cannot argue that I completely ignore “facts” about artists, but I really make an honest effort to not be manipulated into buying “smart”. And since I have never sold a piece to gain funds or cash-in, it would only make sense to keep listening to my heart.

What do you want from art?

A free space, and to understand myself better. I feel it is such a huge privilege to be able to surround myself with art. I think the amount of time that you invest in and with the artworks, they will give you back tenfold.

What does art want from you?

My curious eyes, my willingness to look (really look!) and for me to loose all thoughts and ideas of how I should live my life, at least for a short moment when I surrender to the piece and stay completely silent with it. And when I do that, maybe, a brilliant new and upside down idea or thought will appear.