Artists as Collectors

Andy Warhol's Time Capsule boxes in the Warhol Museum. Learn more via here





Sophie Calle's Birthday Ceremony pieces. These came from an annual ritual where she would invite friends to dinner every birthday. She would invite a guest for each year of her age, and allowed her guests to nominate a mystery guest to symbolise her uncertain future. She asked for gifts and tokens of affection and would display these gifts in glass cabinets for the year, boxing them up and replacing them as each new ceremony happened. She would sometimes take these archives out as proof of a support system and validation of love in times of emotional difficulties. Apparently on turning 40 she realised she no longer needed this ritual and she exhibited the pieces.





Jake Tilson's collections of shopping bags from cities around the world (Stock Exchange) and aeroplane ephemera (Jet-Set)







Mike Kelley, another artists whose collections are evident in the actual works themselves. He calls the folk-art style shards of source materials "memoryware" and this enhances his work's sense of nostalgia. He is interested in pop psychology and repressed memory syndrome and his work often features disturbing fractured images of childhood and nightmarish use of pop icons.











Daniel Spoerri, one of the main protagonists fo the Fluxus movement. His work was concerned with magic, mystery and death, anthropology, anatomy and genetics, and cornucopia of the flea market. He also collected and catalogued items of interest. The top picture shows a range of kitchenware.











Joseph Cornell. His website describes him thus..."Working with found objects, pages from old books, and dime-store trinkets, self-taught artist Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) transformed everyday materials into extraordinary universes. "The Joseph Cornell Box: Found Objects, Magical Worlds" presents his life and art in a beautifully collaged, 80-page book housed in a sturdy box."











Peter Blake. Some of these appeared in his exhibition The Cabinet of Curiosities, showcasing the collections that inspired and informed his paintings.

















Eduardo Paolozzi. See his collection of windup toys and space age / pop culture memorabilia alongside a range of his collage, sculpture, prints and editorial work at Raven Row gallery East London.