Amsterdam’s Young Collectors Circle series “Art of Collecting” brings to light the personal relationships between a collector and their favorite artwork.

THE COLLECTOR
Nadine van den Bosch is an art advisor at Heden and lives in Amsterdam with her boyfriend, Ahmet Yaman.

THE ARTWORK
This piece is called “Vision Needs No Eyes to See” and it’s by Navid Nuur. I bought this work at Heden in 2015 but I was already familiar with his work and it still really appeals to me. He has a very diverse body of work, in which he uses various unusual materials like play dough and chewing gum and the use of text is also typical in his wrok, as well as interaction with the viewer. Two things that are apparent in this piece – the artwork itself consists of metal pins with letters that you can punch onto any surface you choose with the accompanying hammer. One condition is that you can only use the letters to create the phrase “Vision needs no eyes to see”. The artwork was a present for my boyfriend, so a big part of the fun is picking the perfect spot for it together. By now we have learned that some surfaces are better suited than others – we ended up hanging a photograph by Elspeth Diederix over our first attempt! Another fun aspect is that the work can be endlessly reproduced – you just need the tools and get to work. This creates a slightly different work of art each time. Because we placed it on the door, I see it almost every day, but I still haven’t quite figured out what that sentence actually means. That’s what I love about the piece, you keep thinking about it and it invites multiple interpretations. And if we move, it’ll be easy to relocate!

The artwork was a present for my boyfriend, so a big part of the fun is picking the perfect spot for it together. By now we have learned that some surfaces are better suited than others – we ended up hanging a photograph by Elspeth Diederix over our first attempt!

NADINE VAN DEN BOSCH

THE COLLECTION
I also own work from artists like Elspeth Diederix, Anne Forest, Hinke Schreuders and Ola Lanko. I don’t select work for purely aesthetic reasons or only because I like the idea, for me it always has to be a balance of both. It has to be interesting to look at – because it’s either very beautiful or very ugly, or because it’s an odd image, because it grates or irritates. In short – it has to intrigue. I will never buy a piece just because it’s a pretty picture, for me the artwork is the end result of an entire process that came before.

Because you see the works of art in your home every day, they really become a part of your daily life. I not only enjoy having the pieces themselves around me, but that they are also connected to memories and associations. Every piece has something in it that evokes a memory, making my artworks like a very personal timeline in which each work stands for a particular moment.

My boyfriend and I buy together, and we both have to be convinced before we buy anything. That’s also a great aspect of viewing and buying art together – you talk about art, you see each other’s perspective and you get better at explaining why something does or does not appeal to you.

I don’t go looking for art with the underlying idea that “it has to blend in with the rest”. I think it’s an organic process. I also don’t start with a theme or medium in mind. What appeals to me is art that causes friction. Art that you have to look at twice and even then you may still never figure out what it is that appeals to you. If a work of art keeps challenging you, you know it’s the right one.

I follow a lot of artists, but not nearly always with the direct intention of buying work from them. The more art you view, the more you can interpret it and place it in context. I would never buy an artwork that was stripped of its context, and had therefore lost its essence. Some pieces were created specifically for one location, and that setting is important to represent the idea behind the work. Think of street art for example, if you were to hang that over your couch, you’d almost turn the artwork into a prop – purely decorative. To me, that would be a shame.

The more art you view, the more you can interpret it and place it in context. I would never buy an artwork that was stripped of its context, and had therefore lost its essence.

NADINE VAN DEN BOSCH

TIPS & TRICKS
Really take the time to view a lot of art. Don’t limit yourself to museums and galleries either, but visit project spaces, graduate shows and artists’ studios as well. That’s how you build a frame of reference. And don’t forget to talk with artists whose art interests you! That way you get to learn more about their work and you often end up seeing things you hadn’t quite discovered yourself yet.

The “Art of Collecting” series is an initiative of the Young Collectors Circle and Laura Hein.

See more of Nadine van den Bosch’s collection in her Online Exhibition.