The High Life

Yasumasa Morimura Damien Hirst Paul McCarthy Andy Warhol Jake and Dinos Chapman Roy Lichtenstein Glenn Ligon Frank Stella

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Trusted dealers and art world colleagues aren’t the only influences on Bob and Nancy’s collecting; their decisions are shaped by their surroundings as well. Living year-round in Aspen has encouraged the couple to let their trove spill out into their six-acre backyard, where sculptures by Willie Cole, Tony Cragg, Ugo Rondinone and Not Vital, among others, can be found. Of course, Aspen’s picturesque views are accompanied by harsh weather, and the Magoons are diligent about monitoring the condition of their outdoor pieces. "It’s not just about buying the art and putting it out there. It comes with responsibility," says Bob. "We have a conservator come once a year and tell us what needs to be done." They’ve had problems with just about every alfresco display, ranging from the rusting of Tony Cragg’s Code Noah, 1988, to the complete collapse, brought on by cold weather, of a spray-painted rock sculpture from Aaron Young’s 2006 "Locals Only" series, which the artist ultimately replaced.

Although it’s rare that the easygoing couple disagree over an artwork, such conflicts have occurred. One involved a piece from their collection of Native American, Egyptian and African tribal art. "We had an African Ekoi head that Bob drove me crazy over because every time he passed it he would say, ‘This is the ugliest piece I’ve ever seen.’ So finally I said, ‘Let’s sell it,’ " Nancy recalls. More recently, Bob has expressed reservations about Little Head, Kiki Smith’s eerie 1992 bronze and steel sculpture of a head seemingly detached from its body, which Nancy bought through Dwight Hackett Projects, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. For now, it remains in their collection. "We’ll see if he can live with it," says Nancy, who, after 30 years of marriage, clearly understands the art of compromise.

"The High Life" originally appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's July/August 2009 Table of Contents.