I considered not posting about the NYT's Style section article on collecting contemporary art for kids. Not because I feel really implicated in it--though I do--but because to someone who already's hooked on collecting art, it just seems so normal.

Collecting's a really subjective thing, undertaken for a whole host of reasons. But when you get into it, your environment, life, and your own interests almost inevitably end up getting reflected in what art you buy.

When I moved from a loft downtown to a small townhouse apartment on the Upper East Side, it took me several months to realize all the art I was buying was really small. So I ended up overcompensating by buying stuff that exists only on certificate and needs to be fabricated--or that takes up an entire room. There was a stretch where almost everything I bought was black: Richard Serra, Joseph Kosuth, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, etc.

So when I've asked dealers about certain pieces over the last couple of years, they almost immediately reply, "Are you looking for something for the nursery?" As if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

The Playroom Of Modern Art [nyt]