The Taschen Collection
Interview with Benedikt Taschen. By Marga Paz, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. On the occasion of the exhibition at the museum. 20th October 2004 – 15th January 2005
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MP: Are you always looking to discover new artists?
BT: I try to, but it`s practically a full time job. To really be on top of things, to discover the next generation of artists, you can`t do too much else. I listen to what artist friends have to say. The new generation relates to the older one because they are their heroes or at least the key to their future careers. Martin, for example, was a wonderful and generous supporter of young artists; so is Albert.
MP: Are you interested in being well-informed of what is happening in the art world through exhibitions, magazines, galleries, etc.?
BT: Sure, I subscribe to a number of magazines and I love to read The Art Newspaper and before I hired their editor, I was an avid reader of Leg Show Magazine. I also check all the auction catalogs, I go to some art fairs and try to see as many shows as I can take.
MP: What do you think is the role collectors play in the art world today?
BT: Some can be powerful, but nothing compares to the major museums and some galleries. Too often collectors think of themselves as the ones who "make" an artist`s career. They want to be seen as Renaissance patrons of the arts. With some exceptions I don`t believe that great artists need devoted collectors, although it`s good to have some. But the collectors need the artists to make their often-boring lives more interesting. Muhammad Ali, a different kind of artist, once answered the question of who was responsible for his career by saying, "Who made me was me." So as a collector, I feel hugely grateful for what artists have given me.
MP: What interests you beyond art?
BT: From what we can print it is: being together with the woman I love and my three children, my friends and my family. Plus reading, movies and music. In the winter I like to spend time at a sauna in the Latvian countryside with my friends Edvin, Juris and Reiner. It is the simple things that make me happy.
MP: How would you define your collection?
BT: I collect whatever seems important to me, it is mainly artists of my gene-ration I feel particularly connected to. It doesn`t necessarily mean that they are of any relevance to others.
MP: Do you think that the collection adheres to a theme, an obsession or just your personal taste?
BT: I have no theme to follow, but I wouldn`t describe my taste as minimalist.
MP: You have created a unique publishing company. Do you think your professional activity has connections with your collection?
BT: Of course it does, but it`s like with the chicken and the egg. I see it as my job to present the artists I believe in and to communicate their work. I try to make them look good because I admire them, with the hope that others will, too.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4]
MP: Are you always looking to discover new artists?
BT: I try to, but it`s practically a full time job. To really be on top of things, to discover the next generation of artists, you can`t do too much else. I listen to what artist friends have to say. The new generation relates to the older one because they are their heroes or at least the key to their future careers. Martin, for example, was a wonderful and generous supporter of young artists; so is Albert.
MP: Are you interested in being well-informed of what is happening in the art world through exhibitions, magazines, galleries, etc.?
BT: Sure, I subscribe to a number of magazines and I love to read The Art Newspaper and before I hired their editor, I was an avid reader of Leg Show Magazine. I also check all the auction catalogs, I go to some art fairs and try to see as many shows as I can take.
MP: What do you think is the role collectors play in the art world today?
BT: Some can be powerful, but nothing compares to the major museums and some galleries. Too often collectors think of themselves as the ones who "make" an artist`s career. They want to be seen as Renaissance patrons of the arts. With some exceptions I don`t believe that great artists need devoted collectors, although it`s good to have some. But the collectors need the artists to make their often-boring lives more interesting. Muhammad Ali, a different kind of artist, once answered the question of who was responsible for his career by saying, "Who made me was me." So as a collector, I feel hugely grateful for what artists have given me.
MP: What interests you beyond art?
BT: From what we can print it is: being together with the woman I love and my three children, my friends and my family. Plus reading, movies and music. In the winter I like to spend time at a sauna in the Latvian countryside with my friends Edvin, Juris and Reiner. It is the simple things that make me happy.
MP: How would you define your collection?
BT: I collect whatever seems important to me, it is mainly artists of my gene-ration I feel particularly connected to. It doesn`t necessarily mean that they are of any relevance to others.
MP: Do you think that the collection adheres to a theme, an obsession or just your personal taste?
BT: I have no theme to follow, but I wouldn`t describe my taste as minimalist.
MP: You have created a unique publishing company. Do you think your professional activity has connections with your collection?
BT: Of course it does, but it`s like with the chicken and the egg. I see it as my job to present the artists I believe in and to communicate their work. I try to make them look good because I admire them, with the hope that others will, too.
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Taschen Collection
Hardcover 11.7 x 16.5 in., 254 pages
$ 70.00
$ 70.00
The art of a particular moment in history from a new point of view
Helmut Newton, Benedikt Taschen and auctioneer Simon de Pury, Berlin. Foto: June Newton, 2000
Taschen residence, Cologne: Los Angeles gallerist Patrick Painter with Martin Kippenberger selfportrait Untitled, 1988. Foto: Taschen, 2000