How To Collect Like Andy Spade
Andy Spade, the co-founder of Partners & Spade and tastemaker about town, is auctioning more than 80 items from his eclectic, personal collection via Paddle8 starting today through February 3. These include art and design pieces, as well as curiosities he’s accumulated from flea markets around the world and beyond. “The mix is eclectic, to say the least,” says Spade. “I’ve always presented art along with found objects, like paintings alongside a combination of trumpets or books or stereos. I piece things together to tell stories.” Here, Andy spills about a few items that have made his world even more colorful.
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Andy Spade at home before a painting by Terry Winters.
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Lowell Boyers, “Seeking #13,” 2006. Acrylic paint, resin, watercolor, and ink and enamel on canvas. ($2,000–$3,000)
“When I moved to New York in my twenties, I met a friend, Lowell Boyers, who was in the MFA program at Yale. I would go up to Yale when they had their sale at the end of the year, which is how I started collecting young artists. Lowell was in school with Matthew Barney, so I started collecting both of them. That was really my introduction to the fine art world.”
Photo courtesy Paddle8.
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Jimmy Best on His Back,” 1981. Drawing. ($60,000–$80,000).
“This Jean-Michel Basquiat boxing drawing is one of my favorites. We framed it so that you can see the drawings on both sides of the sheet and displayed it alongside our children’s drawings.”
Photo by Kyle Knodell.
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Pair of microphones, Turner & Atlas Sound. Mid-20th century. ($200–$300)
“I’ve always loved objects—even old stereo equipment. I’m really crazy about my microphone collection.”
Photo courtesy Paddle8.
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Vintage trumpets, set of three. Mid-20th century. ($80–$120)
“I collect a lot of horns because I think they’re sculptural. Some stuff that you find at a flea market or an old antique store has unexpected beauty in it—I’m still always looking for horns.”
Photo courtesy Paddle8.
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Vintage book covers of “The Age of Anxiety” by W.H. Auden, 1948, and “The Worst Edition of Shakespeare” by C.S. Brooks, 1954, ($60–$80 apiece)
“I started collecting books just for the covers, quite frankly. I have a big collection of books that aren’t ‘important’, but I just love the colored title or the design of the book.”
Photo courtesy Paddle8.
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Vintage book covers of “The Age of Anxiety” by W.H. Auden, 1948, and “The Worst Edition of Shakespeare” by C.S. Brooks, 1954, ($60–$80 apiece)
“I started collecting books just for the covers, quite frankly. I have a big collection of books that aren’t ‘important’, but I just love the colored title or the design of the book.”
Photo courtesy Paddle8.
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Karen Kilimnik, “Blizzard (Siberia, September 28, 2001),” 2001. Oil on canvas. ($30,000–$40,000)
“This painting is hard for me to give up—I really like it. I don’t have space for it because I moved out of our Hamptons house and have extra works that I’m not showing. But this winter tree has always been special to me.”
Photo courtesy Paddle8.
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Rene Ricard, “May Died in June,” 2006. Drawing. ($7,000–$9,000)
“In the ‘80s I started reading Artforum and Index, and was introduced to Glenn O’Brien and Peter Halley, who introduced me to young artists they thought were interesting. I saw Rene Ricard in the Azzedine Alaia store—I loved it. I met Jacqueline Schnabel, and asked how I could find this artist, Rene someone. She took me to his room at the Chelsea Hotel, and I started buying art from him.”
Photo courtesy Paddle8.
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Photo by Kyle Knodell.
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Photo by Kyle Knodell.
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Photo by Kyle Knodell.
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Photo by Kyle Knodell.
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Photo by Kyle Knodell.
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Photo by Kyle Knodell.
