The Artist’s Hand: Selections from The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation brings together a curated selection of work by seventy artists from one of the most progressive and idiosyncratic collections in the United Stated. Amassed over a period of more than fifty years and spanning time periods and continents, The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation is a testament to Louis-Dreyfus’s aesthetic intuition, curiosity and passion for collecting on a personal level.
William Louis-Dreyfus’ (1932-2016) unprejudiced approach to acquiring art remained independent from art world fashions and was contrarian in its disregard for the valuation trends that the market dictated. With an open mind, an endless intellectual curiosity and a willingness to learn and to be surprised, Louis-Dreyfus’ pursuit was an ongoing visual art education fueled by a passion for being enchanted by an artist’s unique and creative trajectory. He made no distinction between high and low art, which he freely conflated in a collection that is stylistically diverse yet consistent in depth and visual imagination.
The Artist’s Hand presents a comprehensive look at the collector’s compelling vision through the lens of his interest in assimilating the visual language and technique of the artists he collected. Of particular interest to him was an artist’s creative practice, and Louis-Dreyfus developed an affinity for the virtuous artistic process. He would often cite his fascination with ‘worked’ art, by which he alluded to art works where there was evidence of the ‘artist’s hand’.
One of my drawings is on view: Absorbing, Random Observations (from train) #5, 2014