Collecting and Enjoying Art -- by, Phillip Dutilleul-francoeur

Many times I have been asked the same question: why are you collecting? The answer is simple because I love art.
 
I have always been interested in art since my childhood. My parents used to drag me into museums when I was a kid. At first, I hated it but then I got fascinated by the paintings at the Louvre and the musée d’Orsay. I used to sit for hours in front of painting, looking at every detail of it and I almost felt I was “jumping” inside and sharing the life of its characters.
 
For a long period I was only interested by old masters ducth paintings and I was totally against contemporary art.
 
I discovered contemporary art 11 years ago when a friend opened a gallery. I still remember the first show I saw: it was by a French conceptual artist named Claude Rutault. The artist had painted a wall in yellow and hanged and that wall a yellow fold paper. Needless to say that I was shocked by what I saw and felt home when I went to see Rembrandt at the Louvre.
 
But, being very curious, I kept looking at contemporary art and slowly but surely I got to appreciate it. One year and half I finally reached that critical point where I started collecting contemporary art. The first piece I bought was the South African artist William Kentridge. I had finally realized that I could never own the old masters paintings I love because there are already in museums, or way too expensive. I collect everything from painting, photography, sculpture. Amongst the young artist I follow, there are Barney Kulok, Rashid Jonshon, Daniel Schlier, Diango Hernandez, Kudzanai Chiurai, Loris Greaud, and Tony Matelli. Most of them are of my generation and in a way I feel we have a life connection with them thought their various piece art.
 
Looking back, collecting art is something I will never regret. I enjoy discovering new artist, and feel my heart beating when I fall in love with a piece of art, it almost like it become a part of me when I buy it. In a way it represents a stage of my life...