Independent Collectors

John Morrissey

Discover is a keyword for the American attorney and art collector John Morrissey, who directs his focus towards emerging contemporary artists.

KEHINDE WILEY, Ferdinand Philippe Louis Henri, Duc d’Orleans, 2014
KEHINDE WILEY, Ferdinand Philippe Louis Henri, Duc d’Orleans, 2014

Every new discovery is based on a belief that the given artwork has a high potential of becoming historically significant. Meet one of the top art collectors worldwide – an astute collector with a knack for spotting talent.

In collaboration with Artland, we share stories of the people behind the collections and the motivation to want to own contemporary art. This week, we caught up with Florida-based collector John Morrissey.

ARTLAND

How did you become an art collector?

JOHN MORRISSEY

I collected baseball cards and comic books as a child, so the transition to collecting artwork was seamless. It made sense to graduate to a more expensive variety of collectibles once I became an attorney. I have collected approximately 300 paintings, drawings and photographs over the last twenty-five years. I also have a collection of mid-century furniture, comprised mostly of pieces by George Nakashima.

When I began collecting artwork in the early 1990s, Don and Mera Rubell moved down to Miami, and their son, Jason Rubell, opened galleries in Palm Beach and Miami. At that time, Jason represented a group of young artists who I found interesting. After a few acquisitions from Jason’s gallery, I became further entrenched in collecting with trips to New York City for visits to studios, galleries, museums and art fairs.

I suppose that I defined myself as an “art collector” after seven or eight years of collecting. At that point, I realized that I was on my way to amassing a sizeable art collection. I came to this realization based upon a number of factors, including the following: I had accumulated more than enough artwork to fill a sizeable home and office; most of my collection was crated in storage because I had far more artwork than wall space, and many works were too large to fit on my walls; all of my trips included visits with artists and dealers; and I had accumulated enough artwork to organize a show of my collection publicly, which culminated in the first exhibit of my collection at the former Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art in May of 1999.

ARTLAND

How would you describe yourself as an art collector?

JOHN MORRISSEY

Passionate and astute. I have always invested significant time and effort to make intelligent decisions about the artwork I collect. I usually spend an hour on the Internet each morning before work to read current events in the art world, review new articles about artists in my collection, and research emerging artists who I find interesting. I have always been passionate about collecting art. It is easy for me to make time for this passion.

ARTLAND

What is the first artwork that you purchased?

JOHN MORRISSEY

My first purchases were two Keith Haring “pop shop” prints in 1992. These purchases were made a couple of years after the artist’s death and after the market for his work was established. This gave me comfort that the purchases were fairly conservative. Every purchase I have made since the Keith Haring prints has been by lesser known, emerging artists (at the time of purchase). In addition, all subsequent purchases have been original paintings, drawings or limited edition photographs, rather than prints in a large edition.

KEHINDE WILEY, Ferdinand Philippe Louis Henri, Duc d’Orleans, 2014
KEHINDE WILEY, Ferdinand Philippe Louis Henri, Duc d’Orleans, 2014
MICKALENE THOMAS, As If You Read My Mind, 2005
MICKALENE THOMAS, As If You Read My Mind, 2005

ARTLAND

What is the main motivation behind your collecting?

JOHN MORRISSEY

The challenge for me is to discover young talent before they become art stars, to watch their careers progress and their markets grow, to assist along the way to the extent possible, and to end up with a few rare and historically significant works of art. I do not want to end up with hundreds or thousands of objects. I would be satisfied if, over the years, I collect a few rare and historically significant works of art that ultimately comprise a transformative gift to one of the museums in South Florida.

ARTLAND

Describe your collection in three words.

JOHN MORRISSEY

On the rise.

ARTLAND

Is there any particular type of art that appeals to you or anything that unites all the works in your collection?

JOHN MORRISSEY

My focus has always been directed towards emerging figurative painters and photographers. Most of the artists I collect are American, most are female or minorities, and many of them happen to be Yale Art School graduates. While I do not consider it important for me to collect mostly American artists, I am immersed in American culture; thus, it makes sense that I would respond to and have a greater connection with imagery that examines and critiques my culture. While I collect mostly Americans, they happen to be from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

During the period from 1992 through 1999, I acquired work by the likes of Cecily Brown, Karen Kilimnik, Nicole Eisenman, Sue Williams, Jack Pierson, Enoc Perez and Katy Grannan. During the period from 2000 through 2010, I acquired work by the likes of Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, Hilary Harkness and Natalie Frank. The artists I have collected in depth most recently include Anj Smith, Firelei Baez, Darja Bajagic and Louisa Gagliardi.

KATY GRANNAN, Ghent, NY, 2000
KATY GRANNAN, Ghent, NY, 2000
KATY GRANNAN, Untitled (Poughkeepsie Journal), 1998
KATY GRANNAN, Untitled (Poughkeepsie Journal), 1998
KATY GRANNAN, Untitled (Poughkeepsie Journal), 1998
KATY GRANNAN, Untitled (Poughkeepsie Journal), 1998

It is important to discern whether an artist can speak intelligently about his or her work, place the work in a historical and cultural context, and effectively promote his or her career.

JOHN MORRISSEY

ARTLAND

What considerations do you take into account before you buy a piece of art?

JOHN MORRISSEY

I have not met anyone who can predict which emerging artists will become the most celebrated and successful of his or her generation. It would seem equally as hard to foretell which works by those emerging artists will become the most historically significant. There are too many unknown variables and unforeseen circumstances that affect a young artist’s career. There are, however, a number of factors that I consider in determining whether a young artist has a better chance of success than his or her peer group. A non-exhaustive list of examples might include the following: the artist’s level of talent, motivation, intelligence and savvy; the artist’s degrees, grants, awards and residencies; the artist’s teachers, mentors and art world friends; the artist’s supporters, including galleries, museums, exhibition spaces, writers and patrons; the location of the artist’s studio; and the universal recognition and appeal of the artist’s imagery.

ARTLAND

What do you enjoy the most: The hunt associated with collecting art or the joy of ownership?

JOHN MORRISSEY

There are always good feelings associated with acquiring a new work of art. However, the enjoyment does not end at the point of purchase. After spending a significant amount of time researching an artist, investing substantial sums for several of the artist’s paintings, and following the ups and downs of the artist’s career over the years, my hope is that the artist will secure an important place in art history. If that happens, the best feelings come years or decades after the initial purchase.

ARTLAND

How important is it for you to meet the artist behind the work?

JOHN MORRISSEY

I have been fortunate to meet and develop relationships with a number of artists whose work I collect. These relationships have allowed me to find out more about the artist’s career, methods, motivations and aspirations. It is important to discern whether an artist can speak intelligently about his or her work, place the work in a historical and cultural context, and effectively promote his or her career. The ability to meet and speak with an artist can provide insight into whether the artist possesses the ability and drive to achieve great success. There are other reasons for building personal relationships with artists. If there is a period when the artist is not represented by a gallery, it is possible to acquire artwork directly from him or her. As a collector of emerging artists, I have also found that artists can be wonderful source of information in the process of discovering other young talent.

LOUISA GAGLIARDI, It’s Mine, I Spend It, 2016
LOUISA GAGLIARDI, It’s Mine, I Spend It, 2016
ANJ SMITH, Quink (aka Zingarella), 2006
ANJ SMITH, Quink (aka Zingarella), 2006
ANJ SMITH, Token, 2006
ANJ SMITH, Token, 2006

ARTLAND

Do you ever desire to have your collection shown?

JOHN MORRISSEY

I frequently lend work from my collection to museums and exhibition spaces around the United States. Selections from my collection have been the subject of several curated exhibits in my hometown, including shows at the former Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art, Florida Atlantic University Galleries, Armory Art Center, and Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens. I have also loaned artwork to such institutions as The National Portrait Gallery, New Museum of Contemporary Art, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Norton Art Museum, Aspen Art Museum, Madison Art Center, Philbrook Museum of Art, and Knoxville Museum of Art.

My most recent loans include Firelei Baez watercolors to Perez Art Museum Miami and The Andy Warhol Museum, Kehinde Wiley and Mickalene Thomas paintings to the Boca Raton Museum of Art, and Hilary Harkness paintings to The FLAG Art Foundation.

ARTLAND

What are your wishes for the future of your collection? What would you like to see happen to it?

JOHN MORRISSEY

I will continue to lend artwork from my collection to museums and exhibition spaces around the United States. It would be nice to have my own exhibition space some day. Most of my collection is crated and packed away in storage. I own a number of works that have not seen daylight in years, which is unfortunate. Ultimately, my hope is to end up with a few rare and historically significant works of art that comprise a transformative gift to one of the museums in South Florida.

ARTLAND

What work of art do you wish you owned if the price tag did not matter?

JOHN MORRISSEY

Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.

Great works of art capture my attention for more than a few seconds. They are seductive, and they make me want to spend time contemplating the ideas behind them.

JOHN MORRISSEY

HILARY HARKNESS, Mother Lode, 2005-2006
HILARY HARKNESS, Mother Lode, 2005-2006

ARTLAND

How do you know when you stand before a really great piece of art?

JOHN MORRISSEY

There have been numerous surveys about how viewers interact with paintings in museums. The average viewer will glance at a work of art for anywhere between two and 15 seconds. Great works of art capture my attention for more than a few seconds. They are seductive, and they make me want to spend time contemplating the ideas behind them. They make me want to acquire them to keep around and return to periodically. Hilary Harkness and Anj Smith are two female figurative painters whose work I find most seductive. These artists have wild imaginations and amazing technical skills. The intricacy of their paintings requires extraordinary time and attention to detail, which explains part of their allure.

ARTLAND

What is the best advise you have given or been given in terms of art collecting?

JOHN MORRISSEY

Discovering emerging artists who possess the ability and drive to achieve great success requires significant time and effort, along with a willingness to be patient and assume calculated risk. A self-reliant collector should expect to keep abreast of the art market and market trends by reading, attending art fairs and gallery openings, and speaking to other collectors, artists, gallery dealers and museum curators. Knowledge of both contemporary culture and art history is advantageous when evaluating how well an artwork collates contemporary subject matter with the influence of art historical references. Finally, a rudimentary understanding of the gallery system and auction market is helpful.

NATALIE FRANK, Leftover Girls, 2005
NATALIE FRANK, Leftover Girls, 2005
JAKE & DINOS CHAPMAN, Yin & Yin, 1997
JAKE & DINOS CHAPMAN, Yin & Yin, 1997
John Morrissey seated on a George Nakashima walnut Conoid bench in front of the painting 'Big Daddy Kane' by Kehinde Wiley
John Morrissey seated on a George Nakashima walnut Conoid bench in front of the painting 'Big Daddy Kane' by Kehinde Wiley

USA (55)

West Collection

Since 1996, Al & Paige West have been building an impressive collection, including works by artists such as Donald Judd, Martin Boyce, and Candice Breitz.

Valeria Napoleone

The Italian-born collector actively seeks out under­represented positions and therefore only acquires works by women artists.

Christine and Andrew Hall

Interview with the collectors behind Hall Art Foundation

Gary Yeh

IC talks to Gary Yeh.

de la Cruz Collection

Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, the co-founders of the renowned collection that bears their name, are always quick to highlight the importance of education when discussing the role the De La Cruz Collection plays in the Miami community.

The Broad Collection

Walking down the Grand Avenue in Los Angeles, right by the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), you can’t help but be struck by the angular construction of The Broad and its bright white honeycomb exterior.

Marciano Art Foundation

Maurice and Paul Marciano, founders of the GUESS jeans brand, in their five-thousand-square-meter exhibition space

The Mallin Collection

Nestled on 15 acres in the scenic town of Pound Ridge, New York, Buckhorn Sculpture Park features gardens, woodlands, a lake and an orchard.

Transformer Station

Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell’s transformation of an electrical power station in Cleveland

The Goss-Michael Foundation

A place that grew out of a romantic connection between Kenny Goss and the late pop music legend, George Michael

Franks-Suss Collection

Initially focused on China, collectors Simon Franks and Robert Suss soon widened their purview

Mera & Donald Rubell

Five quick questions, five short answers by the famous couple behind the Rubell Family Collection

Thoma Foundation

Two intimate art spaces in Chicago and Santa Fe encourage dialogue between work and viewer

Martin Margulies

Interview with the collector behind the Margulies Collection

Seth Stolbun

The Houston native collector almost exclusively acquires works from artists that he has a personal relationship with

The Donum Collection

Wine tasting and Crouching Spider by Louise Bourgeois

March 8th 2022

The Stolbun Collection presents “March 8th 2022”, likely the only exhibition at Ferndale–Seth Stolbun’s rental home, as captured by his iPhone

Rubell Family Collection

Curator Joey Lico teams up with artist Alexis Diaz to visit the mighty Rubell Museum in Miami

Saint Georgina Slays The Dragon

A new collection on IC, see inside The Bennett Collection, which is focused on figurative realism, specifically the realistic, painted depiction of women by women.

Flippin The Script with Armand-Paul Family Collection

In “Flippin The Script” we warmly welcome the Armand-Paul Family Collection in New York to IC, with its focus on the African and Latin diasporas, and interest in performance.

Donna Huanca – Obsidian Ladder

Skin painting artist Donna Huanca participates in the current MAF project series, exploring gender and sexuality in contemporary life.

We Still Have Wild Birds Here

Overlooked American artist Gene Beery (b. 1937), declared and depicted reflections in his paintings with a relevant truth and irony that is no less today.

Life Cycle

The Marciano Art Foundation hosted Ai Weiwei for the third MAF Project in their Theatre Gallery.

The Wig Museum

LA's MAF was inaugurated in 2017 with a solo show of Jim Shaw, curated by Philipp Kaiser.

Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation

Delve into the digital art of the collection exhibited across two spaces.

Art Now, Art Forever: Damon Zucconi

As collectors dedicated to following artist careers in depth and breadth, Clayton Press and Gregory Linn describe their on-going relationship to the work of Damon Zucconi, whose works are frequently accessible online.

www.Simco Web Works

In context of exposing art digitally and exposing digital art, we wanted to present artworks that have only and always existed on the web, as URLs, here in the collection of Stefan Simchowitz.

Responding to Nature

Tucked away in the vineyard’s of San Francisco you’ll find the secret sculpture park of Nancy and Steve Oliver.

Go Figure / Alec Soth

This summer, the Pizzuti Collection will feature two exhibitions featuring works taken from the private collection of Ron and Ann Pizzuti.

Roberto Toscano

It all started with the purchase of an etching by Richard Serra in 2011, which turned out to serve as the very foundation for Roberto Toscano’s art collection.

Stefan Simchowitz Collection

L.A.’s most controversial art collector opens up his private collection of contemporary painting.

Carole Server

The New York-based collectors with an enthusiasm for patronage and education.

Force and Form

The private collection studying contemporary visual culture.

Elayne & Marvin Mordes

The sun has just risen over the eaves when we meet on Park Avenue one peaceful January morning and Marvin and Elayne Mordes seem just the way we’d had hoped – warm, open and sympathetic.

Buckhorn Sculpture Park

Located in the scenic town of Pound Ridge, New York, you’ll find the private home of collector couple Sherry and Joel Mallin and their Buckhorn Sculpture Park.

Visions From India

The exhibition “Transforming Vision” includes some of the most prominent Indian artists working today, with all forty works coming from the Pizzuti Collection.

Clayton Press & Gregory Linn

Since 1980, Clayton Press and Gregory Linn – New Jersey collectors – have evolved from being energetic art aficionados to art market specialists.

Steve Shane

Manhattan-based collector Steve Shane is completely in love with art.

Soul Of A Nation: Art In The Age Of Black Power 1963-1983

HEAR this Online Exhibition, exclusively put together with an abundance of images, to view whilst listening to a curated playlist by Quincy Jones.

The Broad Survey Of Shirin Neshat

Downtown L.A.’s The Broad presents Shirin Neshat in an immersive survey.

PHANTASMAGORIA

Exhibition at the Stolen Collection

The Herskovic Collection

A fanatic collector of Abstract Expressionist Painting.

The Dikeou Collection — Part III

A variety of artworks by both established and emerging artists.

The Dikeou Collection — Part IV

A variety of artworks by both established and emerging artists.

The Dikeou Collection – Part II

Artworks by both established and emerging artists, ranging from installations, sculpture, photographs, videos, drawings, to painting.s.

The Dikeou Collection – Part I

Founded in 1998 by the siblings Pany and Devon Dikeou, the Dikeou Collection is located in downtown Denver.

Times of Change

New York-based collector Gregory Vinitsky has been dedicated to collecting contemporary since the 1970s.

Working Hard for Art

An art consultant and curator by day, the Brooklyn-based Collector is a self proclaimed “gutsy newcomer”, working with emerging artists to help her push her collection further.

Chaotic Contemporary

Chicago based collector Troy Klyber, is a contemporary art collector that loves to engage in a bit of chaos.

No Man’s Land

Just in time for the opening of Art Basel Miami Beach 2015, the Rubell Family Collection/Contemporary Arts Foundation has opened its new exhibition, “NO MAN’S LAND: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection”.

Letters to Pia

Having been given the chance to acquire intimate images of Morrisroe’s muse, Pia Howard, Boston-based collector Adam Larson speaks to IC about his relationship with the following photographs, and of course about Pia.

Select Works from the Stolbun Collection

The Stolbun Collection has turned its attention to featuring younger American artists

R F Jefferies – Don’t Postpone Joy

A look inside the collection of San Diego-based collector R F Jefferies.

THE OJIKUTU COLLECTION

Exquisite showcase of treasures of African art, culture, and history