LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER ST. HELENA AND THE CROSS, 1525 , Cincinnati Art Museum
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Images: (L) Zurbarán', St. Francis d'Assisi in Meditation (1635-9) The National Gallery, London;; (R)Dali's Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus (1954) ;The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Of the two great works shown above, one may reasonably ask: which is Classic and which is Modern? To the left we see Francisco de Zurbarán's astonishing St. Francis d'Assisi in Meditation (1635-9), one of the Spanish master's "most austere and intensely spiritual works", as described by The National Gallery in London, which holds the picture. But the emotional impact of the painting goes beyond such description: never in the history of art until this point has a saint been shown with this manner of expression of ecstasy in his features. Viewing this masterpiece in contrast to the work on the right, Salvador Dali's Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus (1954), it is as if their respective epochs are reversed: the abstract quality of the St. Francis is emphasized and the "Old Masters" vibe of the Dali, a work completed in 1954, becomes pronounced. Though supremely modern, Corpus Hypercubus feels as if it could have been painted centuries ago-the tones, the tenebrist shadings, the classical composition of Mary (Dali's wife having posed as the figure) --the folds of her dress, the colors. The two periods of these works, the 17th and 20th centuries, could not be further apart in terms of material, social and political values. Yet in their spiritual harmony 'Time" ceases to exist, there is only time-transcendence of the power of emotion conveyed. A great art collection does not simply 'mix' ancient and contemporary works for the sake of being fashionably eclectic, but seeks the uniformity of the timeless in their relation--thus it making little difference whether the works are almost four hundred or only several decades old.
Of the two great works shown above, one may reasonably ask: which is Classic and which is Modern? To the left we see Francisco de Zurbarán's astonishing St. Francis d'Assisi in Meditation (1635-9), one of the Spanish master's "most austere and intensely spiritual works", as described by The National Gallery in London, which holds the picture. But the emotional impact of the painting goes beyond such description: never in the history of art until this point has a saint been shown with this manner of expression of ecstasy in his features. Viewing this masterpiece in contrast to the work on the right, Salvador Dali's Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus (1954), it is as if their respective epochs are reversed: the abstract quality of the St. Francis is emphasized and the "Old Masters" vibe of the Dali, a work completed in 1954, becomes pronounced. Though supremely modern, Corpus Hypercubus feels as if it could have been painted centuries ago-the tones, the tenebrist shadings, the classical composition of Mary (Dali's wife having posed as the figure) --the folds of her dress, the colors. The two periods of these works, the 17th and 20th centuries, could not be further apart in terms of material, social and political values. Yet in their spiritual harmony 'Time" ceases to exist, there is only time-transcendence of the power of emotion conveyed. A great art collection does not simply 'mix' ancient and contemporary works for the sake of being fashionably eclectic, but seeks the uniformity of the timeless in their relation--thus it making little difference whether the works are almost four hundred or only several decades old.
My work consists of curating small, exquisite collections for private clients that are fundamentally based on Old Masters themes or upon Old Masters-Classic Modern pairings that enhance and even interchange each category, as demonstrated above. I have personal relationships with most of the top international Old Masters art dealers and with two of the major auction houses. I am personally acquainted with the curators of private collections as well as experts and scholars who have worked for the world's most exclusive collections and-or the most respected publications in this field. I also work with an art finance expert and a representative of one of the most distinguished banks in the United States on art market analyses.