Let’s ReCollect Episode 7
With Roxana Sursock, Art Consultant at R.K Fine Arts
PatronageDAO is diving into the fascinating world of collecting, and what it means to be a collector today. Behind every great collection in the world is a collector’s vision — and every great collector had to start somewhere! Most of us, usually as kids, had something that obsessed us — something we had to have — maybe it was baseball cards, maybe it was a rock from every place we visited, the latest football kit for your favourite team, or ticket stubs, autographed programs, matchboxes… Many of us still feel compelled to own and collect certain things, and a few of us might go on to make it a life-long pursuit…. Likewise, most of us have been to a museum at some point and seen some amazing things gathered in one place — just to be marvelled at…
So our mini-series Q&A, Let’s ReCollect will invite collectors, art-lovers and art world professionals to share their memories and musings on unforgettable collections, how they got started with their own collecting, and the top three pieces they would love to own (or perhaps already do!). Answers will be posted on our social media for all to enjoy!
Welcome to Episode 7 of Let’s ReCollect with, Roxana Sursock, Art Consultant at R.K Fine Arts
Hi Roxy, we’d love you to ReCollect what got you started…
What’s your earliest memory of collecting?
I truly believe that collecting is a bug one catches at a young age and then it lasts for a lifetime. For as long as I can remember I have been an avid collector of almost everything !
My earliest memory being Archie and Veronica comic books which I would lovingly amass and order from around the world (but mainly the US) and classify in a series of very well labelled and organised folders in my room!
This was closely followed in subsequent years by cds, dvds and finally books, books and more books !
What was your first experience of a collection?
I come from a family of collectors so was exposed from an early age to many varied and fascinating collections. From my uncle Sandro’s music “museum” to my fathers “esoteric” book collection full of sorcery, magic, witchcraft and tarot books and paraphernalia … To my paternal grandparents beautiful art collection which contained many treasures by the Surréalistes including Max Ernst who was a friend of theirs.
My best friend’s father also had a “drugs”collection - the biggest and most complete in the world filled with books and paraphernalia now residing at the Yale library in the USA…
As you can tell, the inspiration came from many sources !
How did that lead onto what it is you collect now?
It almost seems inevitable given all this that I should catch the collectors bug. I started off collecting rare books and manuscripts and then this led on to the Contemporary Art I collect today.
What is your favourite thing about collecting?
Searching for new treasures and the buzz that process entails. Also, the pure joy of looking at the collection and enjoying the memories associated with every single piece that has been lovingly and carefully chosen.
If you could own any 3 works of art, what would they be?
Any large late work by Mark Rothko, an Adrian Ghenie Sunflower, The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, And as a bonus can I also have Salome by Gustave Moreau please !
If you could spend a night in any museum, which would it be and what would you do?
I am not going to try to be original here and just honestly say that I would love a night alone inside the Louvre in Paris.
I think that given the sheer volume of treasures in that place, I would have to spend all night just gazing at all the masterpieces from across the ages and trying to soak up all the joy and magic that will come out of such a special experience communing with them …
