Peter Churchill

NEW YORK—Peter Churchill of Torcon Inc. comes from a long line of art lovers. He grew up in Bridgewater, N.J. with an artistic mother and brother, so “my collection has deep family roots,” he says. Over the past five years, his collection has grown significantly, and he now owns work by at least 10 different artists. Churchill adds that “my good fortune has allowed me the ability to collect art—something I am very grateful for.”

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My First Acquisition:

My first purchase was a piece that my brother, Charlie Churchill, painted. It was an acrylic expressionistic painting on canvas: a New York subway scene with two shady characters keeping a low profile with the police a little too close for comfort. The cost was probably $300 to $400. I bought it least 10 years ago.

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The Favorite Piece in My Collection:

A painting called Boxers. It was sitting in my brother's studio for years, unfinished, and I always loved it. Finally, during the summer of 2005 I pulled the trigger, told him to finish it up, and I bought it for $2,500. It’s large, 3-by-7 feet. Think “Cinderella Man” era; it’s really terrific. I love it.

My brother continues to be a best friend-and my favorite living artist. I am amazingly lucky to have access to his work, and even now, I await two large pieces that I have commissioned.”

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My Most Recent Acquisitions:

Putto Brutto, a little Jeremy Angier sculpture—a great little guy—from the Take Home a Nude auction. It cost me around $1,200. I also picked up a Manhattan cityscape as seen from Queens, oil on canvas, by Neil Plotkin—again, around the same price.

Last December, I picked up four sketches by Ulrich Lamsfuss, bought through Lombard-Freid Projects. Each piece was around $1,300.

Lastly, I got a few nice pieces from the Art Student Showcase: two fruit still-lifes by Scott DeMontluzin. It’s funny, he's since changed his style, and I prefer what I have—good timing on my part!

I also acquired a great Catskill winter landscape by Mara Lehmann, also from the Art Student Showcase, down on Lafayette.

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The Work I Own That Has Appreciated Most in Value:

I really don’t know. I like all that I have so far, and I have no interest in selling any of the pieces—though the Lamsfuss pieces were bought with appreciation in mind. I do know I got a great buy on the Putto Brutto statue. It’s probably worth three or four times what I paid.

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Advice for Beginning Collectors:

Buy what you like, and never buy anything that is not original. There are so many great opportunities to buy through the various art schools when they have shows or fundraisers. It’s a shame that more individuals don’t support young and developing artists.

If I can share an important message—support the better artists out there. Ninety-five percent of the better artists will not make it into the high-end galleries. You can find wonderful, original pieces of art for less than $1,000, and many great pieces can be had for under $5,000. Wonderful art will always be with you; surround yourself with it. My art makes my life much nicer.