Artfully arranged

If you've ever wondered why most pieces of fine art are displayed on blank white walls, wonder no more. It's simply the best way to showcase the art, Libby Lumpkin, director of the Las Vegas Art Museum, told interior designers, architects and other industry professionals who gathered recently at the Las Vegas Design Center for the October First Friday event.

"With white walls, the art will completely dominate the room," she said.

To illustrate her point, Lumpkin showed slides of some of the pieces in the museum's current exhibit, Las Vegas Collects Contemporary. Among the works on display are pieces by Dan Flavin, who uses fluorescent lights to create his art.

It is work like this that challenges interior designers. But, she said, that's why she tells designers to work around the art.

"Fine art collections are designed to transgress conventional ideas. They also transgress the best-laid plans for contemporary décor."

In addition to offering advice about how to incorporate art with a home's décor, Lumpkin's presentation included information about the best ways to collect art and discover emerging artists, how Las Vegas became an internationally recognized city for top contemporary art collections, and a brief history of contemporary art.

Lumpkin advised the designers to let their clients be ruled by their passion when it comes to collecting art, especially contemporary pieces. Although contemporary art often quickly rises in value, Lumpkin said it is those who collect what they love who have the most success with their collections.

"I have rarely encountered collectors who didn't fall in love with their collections," she said.

The few collectors who buy strictly for investment usually hire art advisers, which Lumpkin said is a big mistake. For the most part, she said the advisers are not qualified enough to make wise purchasing decisions.

"Those (art collectors) who are successful are successful in other fields."

She said these captains of industry become passionate about art and are more discerning about their purchases.

"They know when that work of art is one of the good ones or not," she said. "As a result, their collections are simply better."

Lumpkin said she has seen a piece of art jump in value from $100,000 or less to more than $1 million in the span of a month. The key to appreciation is often the limited availability of works by the artist, as well as its reception among galleries and critics.

When looking for contemporary art, she said it's always best to seek expert advice about which galleries or museums are the best, particularly in cities such as New York City. "You may miss one piece of art from a young artist who will push through, but you will miss hundreds of bad pieces."

She said those who are interested in learning more about contemporary art should visit the Las Vegas Art Museum. The collections on display represent some of the city's best and include several that rank among the top internationally.

The private collections were started, in large part, by those who worked for Steve Wynn. Lumpkin, who spent three years working for Wynn as the founding curator of the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, said they came to her seeking advice about how to start an art collection so they could be like "The Man." They started with contemporary art because works were more affordable than those by the old masters.

These collections include works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, Venske & Spänle, Andy Warhol and Flavin.

But, as it has been since the early 1600s, people collect contemporary art because it serves as a manifestation of their level of sophistication, according to Lumpkin. "For the most part, the motivation to collect is because it makes you look really cool."