Meet Art in Focus podcast host, Tristanne Farrell. As a wealth manager for Investec, when she’s not managing her clients’ wealth, you’ll find her in a gallery, at an art fair or poring over online auctions.
She readily admits that her passion for art has developed into an obsession. Recently, she hosted Investec Focus Radio’s new podcast series, Art in Focus.
We caught up with Tristanne in her Cape Town home.
YLA: What advice would you give someone who knows nothing about art, but wants to start their own collection?
Tristanne Farrell: The big rule I tell everyone is buy what you love. I learnt this the hard way when I first started collecting and had to start all over again to appreciate and enjoy what I was collecting. Write a short list of ten artists you would really like to own and keep going back to it so you can keep your focus on the works and artists you are following. Go to galleries. Most Saturday mornings I will go past a gallery, a new show or walk about to see what is happening in the art world. Attend art fairs, it may be a sensory overload at first and a lot to take in, but the more of them you attend (locally and internationally) the more you expand your views. Read art books. I love collecting and reading art books. They explain the work in detail and give you a deeper context into the artist’s thought process and background. Finally, follow any artist you pick up on your art journey on Instagram, then you can see when they have shows and how their work is progressing.
What is it about art that keeps you interested and what does art do for you?
I love living with art. I like to see the works every day. I think it’s also an appreciation of talent by the artists. I love art history. I have done the Rosenclaire Art History course twice now and would love to do it for a third time! The art market is constantly changing and evolving so there is something new to learn every day. I love the beauty of it, the message, the colours, the textures and the energy. I love the way it makes me feel when I look at it.
What is your favourite art piece, where did you purchase it and why is it your favourite piece?
I would struggle to limit it to one so may have to pick three. The one artist which most people know I am addicted to buying and would still buy more of her work is Kate Gottgens. Her work pulls me in with the layered storytelling and colours in the work. I also admire her painting technique each brush stroke blends so beautifully into the work. Her works are surreal and dream-like images, capturing a moment in time, the works tend to be open-ended and ambiguous, and she works between figuration and abstraction. Lots of influence in her work from old masters like René Magritte. I have a few of her oil on canvas works and a Jacobus Pierneef collage she replicated of the Weeping Willow woodcut. I then had to purchase the Pierneef linocut to put alongside it! All purchased from SMAC Gallery.
The second work would be one by France-Lise McGurn. He’s a Scottish artist I found on my travels and has since grown by having a show at the Tate and is now represented by a Glasgow-based gallery. France-Lise McGurn’s work is a loose style of painting abstract figures, the canvas has no boundaries, and she often paints over on the walls. The themes in her works include music, dreams, memory and pop- culture.
The third and final work would be my Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum – a Botswana-born artist. The work I own has beautiful blue tones and uses layered images which creates some movement for me in the work. She often places herself in the works, so I’m assuming she uses herself as a muse or tells her own stories through her work. I bought mine from Gallery MOMO, but I see she is now represented by Goodman Gallery.
What advice would you give someone looking into art as an alternative investment?
It depends if you are collecting for investment or for the pure love of it. If it’s for investment like any other asset class, there are no guarantees as the artist can take a new direction, galleries can change commitment, and anything can basically happen that’s out of your control. I don’t collect for investment, but I collect because I appreciate art, but if it grows in value that’s great! I would also take a different view on the primary and secondary market, as the secondary market would create a market for more well-established artists and can often regulate the prices of the artists. The primary market can include established but also young and upcoming artists. It would be like buying a small or mid-cap share, versus a blue-chip stock. Back to rule number one – buy what you love or request advice from a professional in the art world to give you guidance.
What was it like hosting your first podcast? And would you do it again?
I was initially overwhelmed by the thought of it but enjoyed each and every single one of them. It felt like a conversation with friends and because everyone is so passionate about art, the conversation and direction just flowed. I would most definitely do it again.
Let’s end with the same question you asked all your guests on Art in Focus: What artists are you keeping an eye on right now?
My list is quite long! I have my eye on a few so I will give some names locally – Jane Alexander, Tangeni Kambudu, Maya Marx, Bella Kannemeyer, Dale Lawrence, Ighshaan Adams, Dan Halter, Terence Maluleke, Mmangaliso Nzuza, Ayotunde Ojo, Lyndi Sales, Leila Abrahams, Shakil Solanki, Ben Orkin, Jake Aikman, Inga Somdyala, and Emma Belsham.
Offshore – Tracey Emin, Cecily Brown, Miranda Foster, Nan Goldin and Emma Prempeh (and obviously Pamela and France-Lise)
