The Brandeis University Rose Art Museum commenced its year long lecture series "Private Passions: Collecting Contemporary Art" on Oct. 8. The husband-and-wife team of Morgan Spangle and Laurie Rubin treated the group of around 35 Brandeis students and Rose Art members to an inside look at the various techniques and approaches to collecting modern art. Although the lecture was plagued by technical difficulties, the couple was very knowledgeable about the functioning of the art world and offered insight for art students at Brandeis as to career path options. The lecture started a little late because no one could figure out the computer password in order to access the PowerPoint presentation showing pieces from some of the lecturers' fellow art collectors. With the computer problems still unfixed, Rose Art Director Stephanie Molinard began the lecture by giving some background about the "Private Passions" series. She explained how the lecture series came into creation after Rose patrons showed great interest in learning the skills and strategies in order to create their own, personal art collections. Molinard hoped the lectures would succeed in "demystifying the process of how to buy art and establish a collection."

Spangle, executive director of the Dedalus Foundation, and Rubin, a private art adviser, were then introduced by Molinard.

A former painter, Spangle has worked as an art dealer for over 25 years including serving as the Vice-President of the Department of Contemporary Art at Christies auction house. As head of the Dedalus Foundation, Spangle works to foster public appreciation for modern art by supporting and facilitating scholarly research, various publications, and museum collections in the field.

Rubin has 20 years of working in galleries as an art adviser to acquire modern and contemporary art. Most recently, she worked on upcoming Julia Roberts movie, "Mona Lisa Smile," serving as the art history consultant as well as serving as an educational adviser for the cast and supervising the screenplay.

Both Spangle and Rubin agreed that most important key to establishing a successful collection was having a passion for art. In starting one's collection, both advised to first discover what type of art one was interested in through extensive reading and research. They also encouraged prospective collectors to visit as many galleries as possible in order to be exposed to different mediums and styles from established artists as well as viewing works from up-and-coming artists.

After deciding what type of art is most publicly appealing, Spangle and Rubin then recommended potential collectors to get in touch with an art dealer or adviser. They stressed how art dealers were valuable in aiding collectors in finding educational information, contacting gallery directors, and buying pieces at auctions.

During the question and answer session, Spangle and Rubin explained for the audience the difference between personal and museum art collection. Art acquired by private collectors tells a more personal, emotional story, they said. Art collections for museums, however, must support the goals of the institution as well as the needs of the community. Spangle and Rubin remarked that art collections in museums serve the historical and educational functions of art while works acquired by private collectors more often are an odd mix of assorted styles and mediums.

With the computer not working, Spangle and Rubin were obliged to discuss the various collectors they had worked for without visual aid. Rubin in particular praised her clients, the Vogels, for committing such great passion and time to developing a top-quality art collection.

Living in a one room apartment off of a salary of $16,000, the Vogels were able to acquire over 2,000 works of art that the couple eventually donated to the National Gallery of Art for cataloging.

Later, with the computer problems solved, Spangle and Rubin were finally able to display art from their various clients. The couple showcased George Segal sculptures and abstract Frank Stella pieces from the collection of Richard and Barbara Lane to paintings by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein acquired by Leo Castelli.

The first of the "Private Passions" lectures proved to be quite interesting and informative even for art lovers not looking into developing a collection. For the students in the audience, Spangle and Rubin advised first obtaining a Masters in art history and then to work extensively in the museum field before attempting to start a career as an art dealer.

The following two lectures in the "Private Passions" series will be given by an auctioneer and two prominent art dealers.