Favorite Art

Default by Seamus Conley

Arctic Bum #1 by Seamus Conley: I’m a big fan of Conley’s work.

Hope by Robert Indiana: My favorite word and one of my favorite artists.

Love by Robert Indiana

Horse by Deborah Butterfield: An absolute masterpiece. It’s bronze and looks like driftwood until you touch it.

Heart by Jim Dine: I’ve always loved his work.

The Kiss by Silvia Poloto: As I’ve mentioned, I love paintings with words on them, and I love what this painting says. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. Silvia Poloto is a Brazilian artist, and she was one of the first artists I represented in my gallery.

High Green I and Blue. I love these 2 Diebenkorn prints. The color is gorgeous, and I can look at them for hours.

© 2009 The Estate of Richard Diebenkorn

I saw a photograph of one of Sam Messer’s paintings in a religious magazine, and hunted down his work. I was so excited when I saw it, because Sam paints Olympia typewriters, and that’s what I write my books on, so I had to have one of his paintings. And they are so happy and fun. The texture and surface of the paint is amazing. Sam teaches fine arts at Yale. I had his work in an art show I did after the gallery closed, but didn’t represent his work. I love owning this piece.

Converse High Tops by Gordon Smedt: Gordon does wonderful paintings of shoes (I have a great one of women’s shoes too!), vintage clothing and all kinds of objects. These high tops are a big hit and hang in the room of one of my sons. Another of my sons has a painting of a pair in red.

Cowboy by Seamus Conley: I was bowled over by this painting. It’s mystical and magical and haunting, both realistic and surrealistic. This is a recent acquisition.

Garcon d’Hiver by Eric Michael Corrigan: I love this painting, and it means the world to me because it was a gift from the artist. Eric was one of my gallery artists.

Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August 1955. This is one of my favorite Richard Avedon photographs, of the model Dovima with elephants. It’s one of his most beloved works.

© 2009 The Richard Avedon Foundation

Suzy Parker and Robin Tattersall, dress by Dior, Place de la Concorde, Paris, August 1956. I also love this Richard Avedon photograph of Suzy Parker and a male model roller skating in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Avedon, and all my daughters and I love his work.

© 2009 The Richard Avedon Foundation

This photograph of Marilyn Monroe, taken by Bert Stern grabbed me the moment I saw it at an art fair in Paris. The look on her face is so poignant in a private moment. It was taken during her last photo session, shortly before she died. The look on her face says it all.

This beach photo is by Richard Misrach. It’s impeccable in its detail and I can stare at it for hours. If you look closely, you can see each grain of sand, and people always comment on it.

Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Los Angeles and Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York

These “Trunks” are by Libby Black, and the piece is just plain fun. I had it in my office for a couple of years, but now I have it in an entrance hall where everone can see it and enjoy it.