Shared Space
Joseph M. Cohen Family Collection
2010
Why people collect art is as simple and as complex as why people fall in love. The reasons are many. Seeking and gathering as acquisitive traits have been part of human nature since the beginning of time and may well have found their most perfected and emotional manifestation when applied to fine art. Some may do it to leave a mark or create a legacy. Others may do it for sentiment, decoration, memorialization, worship, vanity, wealth display or investment. The most interesting members of this class collect because they are drawn to the skill of the artist and the majesty of the work. Those collectors are a breed above and are best described as art appreciators. Joe Cohen, a New York collector, is one of those. He has been quietly amassing art for over four decades. His collection is without borders. Virtually no medium is missing; no subject is excluded. All basic art conventions are encompassed — portraiture, still life, landscape, urbanscape, realism and abstraction. This volume presents an overview of the Cohen Family Collection. It seeks to show the works in their settings and, through informative and entertaining commentaries, to cast light on the breadth of the collection. It is hoped that this dual approach will give some insight into the mind, and perhaps the spirit, of the collector, as well as invite the reader to share in the fruits of his passion.