Looking inside Candace Barasch's candy-colored home today, it's hard to believe her collection began with just a few black-and-white images. She confesses, "It was all my husband and I could agree on!" Since then, the pair have expanded their tastes to include the vibrant works of artists like Josh Kline, Anicka Yi, Rashid Joshnson, Alex Da Corte, and more. Still, the "moment in time" captured by a photograph is an aspect of artwork Barasch continues to chase in all her acquisitions. "Contemporary art speaks to what’s happening in the world today," she explains. "The best art reflects the essence of the world around us, which is what vintage photography does in a literal sense."
Many of the pieces she has on display inside her home, which was designed by UnionWorks founder and interior designer Poonam Khanna, are a reflection of the immediate surroundings outdoors in Palm Beach. Pink-hued palm trees and wall-hanging works that seem to glow from within evoke the signature setting sun over Florida. Here, Barasch shares what makes her hometown such a unique arts destination, the artists she's keeping an eye on, and her advice for novice collectors.
What do you think makes the Palm Beach art scene distinct?
Women like Beth Rudin DeWoody and Sarah Gavlak are innovative and forward-thinking figures in the art world. Sarah's long-standing gallery and Beth’s Bunker Artspace have made Palm Beach a bonafide art destination. Palm Beach is also a community of many passionate collectors, home of the renowned Norton Museum of Art, and home to my fabulous mother-in-law, art historian Marlene Strauss.
What is the first piece you ever bought?
My first photograph was a [Hiroshi] Sugimoto "Seascape" that still hangs over my bed to this day. My first piece of contemporary art was a Wade Guyton work on paper.
Which work in your home provokes the most conversation from visitors?
It’s tied between a 10-foot Rashid Johnson "Anxious Men" painting, a Gisela Colón sculpture that expands the ideas of light and space, and a collaborative work between Alex Israel and Bret Easton Ellis, titled Fourth Tequila. The Colón and Johnson [works] are across the hall from one another when you first walk in, and it’s hard to know where to look. The Israel and Ellis work is a painting depicting four palm trees on a pink canvas with text. People always want to know if I had it commissioned for Palm Beach.
Which artist are you currently most excited about and why?
I am very close to many of the artists in my collection, and I aim to collect their work in depth. I guess you could say those are the ones I am the most excited about. Those artists are Alex Da Corte, Wade Guyton, Lauren Halsey, Alex Israel, Rashid Johnson, Josh Kline, Sam McKinniss, Jamian Juliano-Villani, Nicole Wittenberg, and Anicka Yi. All of these artists are pushing art history forward in their own unique way.
What factors do you consider when expanding your collection?
First and foremost, I buy what I love. My advice to any young collector is don’t buy something you don’t have a visceral reaction to. Next, I think about where the piece fits in historically and, of course, try to reconcile how issues such as race and labor influence our perception of art history. After that, I think about a piece in its thematic context. I think about my collection as a snapshot of the moment we are living in today. Sometimes, however, a purchase of art is just intended to support a young gallery or young artist. It doesn’t fit any criteria.
What was the most challenging piece in your personal collection to acquire?
The most challenging piece I bought was Alex Da Corte’s Decorated Shed from the Venice Biennale in 2019. I had no idea each little piece of this replica of a miniature suburban American village would have to be stored separately, including the walls and ceiling of the room. Was it worth it? You bet.
Is there one piece that got away or that you are still thinking about?
I obsess about art day in and day out. Since I don’t have an unlimited budget, I always have to make choices, so I can’t regret not getting a piece because it opened the door for a piece in my collection that I love. That said, if I could go back in time, I’d make sure there was a painting by Joan Mitchell, Julie Mehretu, and Kerry James Marshall in my collection today.
What was your biggest influence in fostering your passion for art?
My dad. He was a collector of Impressionist art. He took me to Paris when I was in college, where one of his paintings was on loan at the Musée d’Orsay. That is where I saw Matisse's "Blue Nudes" for the first time and a show at the Musée Picasso that showed all the drawings leading up to the creation of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. That was over 30 years ago, and I remember how it felt to understand art’s power to shape our values. I just got back from Paris with my two children, Julia and Robert. We went to see the Rothko show at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. I hope that trip had the same profound impact on them as my trip with my dad had on me.
How has your collection changed as your home and space have changed?
Well, my home here in Palm Beach has larger walls and higher ceilings than my apartment in New York, so I was able to install work that I couldn’t before. More than my physical space, my collection changes as the world changes and artists process and explore new abstractions, new figurations, and ideas such as A.I., the reality of fake news, the migrant crisis, and identity politics. What remains steadfast, though, is my commitment to the art ecosystem.
