Elizabeth Fazzare: How did you begin to build your own collection?
Andrew Sheinman: I worked for a very talented art dealer at age 17 when I was still living in England. He became a mentor. At that young age, he opened my eyes to many of the American artists of that time, such as Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly. That early exposure inspired me to want to live with art.
EF: What was the first piece you purchased?
AS: Cy Twombly's Roman Notes. I was 28 years old. I had seen it as a teenager and fell in love with the lyrical nature of the piece but was not in a position to buy it at that time.
EF: Do you have a defining theme to your collection?
AS: Not particularly. I know it when I see it. Sometimes I think about the room the art can live in, other times I purchase a piece that I love and know that eventually, I will find the right home for it.
EF: What designers/artists are inspiring you right now?
AS: Sarah Sze’s Fallen Sky at Storm King Art Center is remarkable. I recently paid a visit to Dana Barnes’s Lower East Side studio, which is other-worldly; what a talent! I purchase a lot of artist-created pieces of design for my clients and draw tremendous inspiration from these creative minds, Max Lamb to Vincenzo de Cotiis to the Haas Brothers, to name just a few.
EF: In terms of discovering new artists/designers, what are your trusted methods?
AS: Many of my clients are great collectors. I learn a lot from them and have become intimately involved with the marriage of their art with their homes. I feel very fortunate to live in New York where much of the best art and talent from around the world is so accessible. To be able to frequent the world-class museums and galleries that are on my doorstep is one of the best reasons to live in New York.
EF: What is the next piece on your radar?
AS: I saw a significant body of George Condo’s work in Athens a few years ago. I would love to live with a piece of his work. He is a real genius.
EF: What is the last piece you purchased?
AS: A Derrick Adams collage.
EF: What is the one piece that got away?
AS: A Keith Haring Sculpture. I saw it at Art Basel a few years ago. I found myself thinking only about that piece as I continued walking around the fair but by the time I went back to inquire further it had already been sold.
