Aarne Anton, New York - MEET THE COLLECTOR part Thirty Four

Aarne Anton of the American Primitive Gallery makes up part thirty-four of my ‘Meet the Collector’ series. Aarne is a regular at the Outsider Art Fair in New York and has recently moved out of his Gallery in New York, to start selling from his home. Read on to hear more from this man that crosses over art and antiques …

Aarne Anton holding Gaffer Tape Electric Guitar by Andy Don Emmons in front of Sarah Mary Taylor, Hands and Angels Quilt in the dining room

1. When did your interest in the field of outsider/folk art begin?
When I went to art school in New York and took art history there was no mention of art brut, outsiders or folk art for that matter. I began to learn about other art through my base business mounting art from Africa, Oceanic, Native American, and American folk art. At that time pioneer collectors like Herbert Hemphill saw 20th century and living artists as an extension of their folk art collecting that was not accepted by all. What started my path as a dealer was finding a NWC speakers staff at a shop that hadn't opened yet. The Haida staff's length was covered with octopus tentacles having a head of an eagle at the top. The eyes of the eagle were inset with iridescent abalone shell and there were garnet crystals set into the beak. Finding that I took as a sign of my path of discovery and becoming a picker/dealer. I needed to borrow the money to buy it, but selling it gave me seed money. 

A grouping in Aarne’s kitchen with an early Jimmy Lee Sudduth mud painting of Toto and two JJ Cromer works

2. When did you become a collector of this art?  How many pieces do you think are in your collection now? And do you exhibit any of it on the walls of your home or elsewhere?
I have never thought to count my collection. There are pieces that Tina and I own that are never for sale and other works we live with that are passing through. I like to put together collections, then let it go in a show or otherwise. When representing artists I make a point of acquiring some to live with, as we fall in love with pieces and want to have them as part of our lives. My wife Tina used to work in the gallery and is an artist and has a great eye at making choices for the gallery and the home environment.

3. Can you tell us a bit about your background before the Gallery?
I went to the University of Rochester to study Geology. I found I had more visual interest in minerals and fossils, but didn't want to end up working in oil exploration or mineral extraction. After a couple of years of science study, I made the leap to the School of Visual Arts in New York. I discovered my creative energy and absorbed the contemporary art scene. At the end, I discovered I didn't like the gallery world as it existed and went off on the road and studied dharma. Making money was not of much interest, but art was. I got married, had two daughters and started a base business mounting sculpture and objects from every culture and time period. I would take trips to upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and New England. As a collector I would find unusual folk art and other pieces that were affordable and mysterious. They made me learn from experience and when I brought them into the city to my shop, there were interested buyers. Early influences and buyers were Herbert Hemphill, Dr. William Greenspon, Jim Kronen, and my friend Roger Ricco who I did some of my first shows with in New York City.

Over the mantle piece is our collection of early wash sticks use before washing machines

4. What year did you begin the American Primitive Gallery? And you advertise that you sell ‘Outsider Art, American Folk Art and antique material culture from the 18th to the 21st centuries’ – this is quite a diverse mix – can you tell us about this?
I started my business in 1978 as a part-time dealer. In 1991 I opened American Primitive Gallery, moving to a larger space in Soho and doing regular shows. The area was the center for the arts for a period of time with Cavin Morris a block away, and Phyllis Kind and Ricco Maresca a few blocks over. The Outsider Art Fair's Puck Building was a block away. As my interests began to expand to living artists, I visited Raymond Coins and organized a gallery show of his stone sculptures. Many other artists show’s followed. The gallery became known as an alternative space for seeing a different kind of art in New York and was frequented by artists, writers and the characters that followed the art scene. We had the New Museum and The Museum of African Art across the street, The Alternative Museum upstairs and stores minting money on street level. Real estate prices shot up and drove almost everyone out to Chelsea and beyond. After that I downsized and moved to 49 E 78 Street.

I just gave up the gallery space in April, seeing the city closed down for awhile and choosing to work from home. I have been surprised to find my business increased since leaving the gallery.

5. What is it that draws your eye away from contemporary art to outsider/folk art? Or do you collect both?
My eye has never been drawn away from contemporary art. There are always remarkable artists, young and old working. That isn't to say that there is a lot of art I can't stand or has no interest for me. I absorb and learn from looking at all kinds of art including tribal art. I have taken my own path as a dealer. Most contemporary art is out of my budget to collect, but I have traded from artists for my personal collection. I also have appreciated the number of contemporary artists who have come and bought from the gallery. It means a lot when it's someone I admire.

6. A conflicted term at present, but can you tell us about your opinion of the term outsider art, how you feel about it and if there are any other words that you think we should be using instead?
I am not conflicted about the term Outsider Art. My mind doesn't put any negative spin on the term. It is recognized as part of the art world and it remains hard to define. Importantly the artists I represent seem fine with it. 

Behind the couch is Michael Noland’s ‘The Night Harvest’ and Ionel Talpazan’s ‘Six UFOs in the Universe’

7. What style of work, if any, is of particular interest to you within this field? (for example is it embroidery, drawing, sculpture, and so on)
I don't like to be characterized by style. I do best when I remain open to discovery.

8. Would you say you had a favourite artist or piece of work within your collection? And why?
An artist I am excited about is JJ Cromer. We have acquired a few pictures personally, which we treasure. I purchased a picture to keep the first time we saw it at the Outsider Art Fair a few years ago and trusted my instincts. When our interest grew over time, I took him on as a gallery artist to represent. The gallery has published two books from different series of his pictures. JJ is one of those artists that continue to amaze in how his work changes over time. 

9. Where would you say you buy most of your work from: a studio, art fairs, exhibitions, auctions, or direct from artists?
There is no easy answer to that. All of the above. Sometimes I think of myself as a magnet for attracting the right art and it becomes effortless. 

10. Is there an exhibition in this field of art that you have felt has been particularly important? And why?
Past shows that were influential to my interests were Black Folk Art in America 1930-1980 and Passionate Visions of the American South at the New Orleans Museum of Art. More recently I've greatly enjoyed some of the shows that Valerie Rousseau has done at the American Folk Art Museum, especially Vestiges & Verse. It expanded my way of seeing. 

Terry Turrell painting ‘Hide Away’ over obsessively stitched jeans by Robert Adale Davis. Looking into living room Kitty is the painted wood daughter by Harold Ibach carved in 1950. A steel cable chair with hanging silverware. Above is ‘Tri-Color Dog’ by Terry Turrell. An Odd Fellows Lodge initiation goat from c.1880s and O.L. Samuels ‘Gecko with Wings’.

11. Are there any people within this field that you feel have been particularly important to pave the way for where the field is at now?
My friendship with Herbert Hemphill was very influential both in his sharing of his enthusiasm and willingness to take chances collecting.

12. You recently moved out of your New York Gallery space… how do you think this will change the way you meet people and sell things?
I used to think that a physical space was necessary. I don't think it is necessary for me at this time. I still plan to do some shows including the Outsider Art Fair. I'm quite comfortable buying and selling from pictures. I was doing that well before the Covid-19. I've looked to simplify my life, which includes no rent.

13. As you are a collector and a dealer, where do you draw the line between the two… so how do you decide what to keep and what to sell?
There is no easy answer to that. It's personal. It also changes over time. We often live with art that we love, that then gets sold. For me, it’s part of the process and a way to stay unattached. We live in a work of art and Tina creates fantasy gardens. When you visit you will understand.

14. Is there anything else you would like to add?
I wish that people can be uplifted from the art we love during these perilous times.

I might add that in addition to my being a dealer I founded and curate a Facebook art site called Misfits. Misfits is a group of art enthusiasts, collectors, dealers, curators, writers and those enjoy looking at different forms of visual expression. The focus is American outsider art but includes a wider appreciation and exploration of art. My friend Randall Morris curates on Sundays with a broader vision of world art. It offers a way to stay in touch with art while we are forced to live more isolated. I may be a misfit, but you needn't be to join us.