Fine Art Connoisseur May/June 2025

In an era when algorithms curate our experiences and speculation over-shadows appreciation, today's art collector stands at a crossroads. The traditional markers of connoisseurship — the trained eye, historical knowledge, and refined taste — now exist alongside new metrics of value and accessibility that cannot be ignored. What distinguishes today's discerning collector is not merely acquisition but intention. As institutional gatekeepers yield ground to broader possibilities, we must ask ourselves what, if any, responsibilities accompany the privilege of collecting? How do we balance preservation with progress? When does stewardship become ownership, and ownership become legacy? I believe that the most compelling collections today reflect a consciousness extending beyond aesthetic value alone. They demonstrate awareness of provenance, ethics, artist's intent, and maybe even cultural context. These collections as a whole tell…

Economically speaking, this spring has been a rollercoaster ride, and by the time you read this, the instability will surely be continuing. I am not getting political here, but I do want to focus on just one comparatively overlooked area of the chaos that will impact readers of Fine Art Connoisseur. At the time I'm writing, grants supporting arts projects already awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS) have been frozen. It is likely that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is on the chopping block next. I know something about these agencies because, last autumn, I served on a panel of arts professionals hired (for a small fee) to review and rank NEA grant applications submitted by…

The cabaret singer and actress Lynne Charnay knows why she has reached the age of 100. “People think I must have wonderful genes, but I have terrible genes. I truly believe that my good condition and the age I've reached are because of my interest in other people.” Indeed, attending a glamorous and crowded New Year's Eve party at her rambling apartment on Central Park West, or one of her monthly salons at which a pianist plays on her baby grand Steinway, one encounters people of all ages. As her son, Tony Mark, a movie producer, says, “Everyone is here because they want to be here, not because they feel they should be here. They love the company of my mother.” Ms. Charnay was one of my late mother's college…

Dear Fellow Art Lover, The state of California is famously scenic, and one of its greatest pleasures is driving the Pacific Coast Highway. For much of it, motorists can admire the dramatic convergence of hills and sea, and it helps that the road is punctuated with interesting cities and towns. Everyone in the car will relish the Central Coast's rugged beauty, the ever-fluctuating light, and the moody transience of the fog that appears and disappears at will. Many visitors take walks or runs along the cliffs and beaches, sure to notice (and usually photograph) the characteristic trees bent by powerful ocean winds. Others come to play golf and tennis, dine at fine restaurants, and savor the state's excellent wines, but readers of Fine Art Connoisseur will also want to explore…

CHRIS KUNK (b. 1997) is a Manhattan-based sculptor who sees his work “mainly as a search for truth and meaning within myself. My hope is that others will be able to find something similar within themselves. I hope it will help them to pause in solitary contemplation and take a moment to be introspective and empathetic.” Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Kunk started drawing early and, from age 10, has kept a sketchbook handy. He recalls being instinctively “observant of my surroundings, the people, objects, feelings, and stories, and drawing felt like a natural way to express that.” The youngster got warm support from his extended family of artists, musicians, architects, and art enthusiasts, and as a Washingtonian he enjoyed free access to some of America's finest museums and monuments.…

The field of watercolor painting is alive and well — more than well, actually. The artform really got moving in the 18th century, particularly in Britain, and its visibility has ebbed and flowed over time. Today is, in many ways, a new golden age for watercolorists, with societies active at the national, state, and local level, and with international collaborations becoming increasingly frequent. Watercolor works are regularly integrated into mainstream art exhibitions, and pieces by such historical masters as Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth trade for high prices on the secondary market. With all this good news, we must keep in mind that watercolors — like all works made on paper — are vulnerable to fading through overexposure to light. (No matter how expensive or well-made it is, the paper…