Feature image: Frick Collection West Gallery via Conde Nast Traveller
Do ‘Evil’ Art Collectors Curate Better Art?
When you think of evil, what comes to mind? Perhaps a villain from your favorite action movie, a controversial political figure, or a strict school teacher from your past? Generally, evil is synonymous with wicked, malicious, and immoral behavior. But what happens when evil becomes nuanced? When one person sees something or someone as evil while another does not? This is where the complexity of human nature and polarizing opinions often emerge. And because humans can’t seem to hold back from sharing their views, these differing opinions often appear in unexpected (or rather, expected in this day and age) places like the comment section of viral TikTok videos.
A recent instance exemplifying the nuanced subject of ‘evil’ appeared in the comments of comedian and arts writer @thedanrosen’s recent TikTok video, “Travel Hack for Art Lovers.” The satirical piece raised an intriguing question: Does an art collector with an evil reputation make a better collector?
Rosen’s video sparked a stir of comments–2,219 to be exact–all contributing to an overarching theme about art, collectors, and the connection between ethics and aesthetics in art.
The video begins with Rosen sharing a ‘travel hack’ for art lovers.
“When you’re in a new city, skip the major museum and go right to the private collection of a very evil dude. Usually, the collection is in the home of where the evil rich dude lived, or it is in some wild opulent building that was commissioned after he died.”
@thedanrosen The one trick to make sure you have an elite art experience #arthistory ♬ Star Wars: The Imperial March - Cinematic Symphony Orchestra
Rosen reminds us who is generally collecting art: people with extreme wealth, or, simply put, billionaires.
One TikTok user, @Burtonhohman commented, “This is what we are missing from billionaires today. They need to do more funding of the arts and parks in cities.”
Many billionaires today are often criticized for engaging in practices with negative consequences, such as contributing to inequitable labor conditions or dumping unthinkable amounts of plastic into the ocean every day, to name a few examples. Less often do we see one-percenters contributing meaningfully to the general welfare, toward projects like publicly available cultural art and city park initiatives, as @Burtonhohman so rightly suggests.
Rosen extends this critique by reminding us that history repeats itself, and many of these money-driven figures have (or have had) direct responsibility for marginalizing the working class. He specifically refers to Henry Clay Frick, namesake of the Frick Collection in New York City:
“The more evil a person was, the better the museum. Did he try to monopolize the steel industry and brutally break strikes? You’re gonna have a good time.”
With the Imperial March playing in the background, Rosen argues that these private collections are often more unique and idiosyncratic than major museums because they do not follow a cohesive narrative rooted in art history. Instead, it's just the weird objects or artifacts that some “rich dude” was interested in–which arguably makes them more interesting.
While the concept of evil is nuanced and subjective, it appears the majority of the 2,000+ comments from the video seem to agree with Rosen–and not just agree, but offer other ‘evil’ collections from around the world to visit. Despite this, Rosen urges his viewers to do some Googling and find out more about the private collectors of major collections themselves.
With that in mind, let’s dive into some of Rosen’s examples and a few suggestions from the TikTok comments to explore the lives of famed collectors, and how their nefarious legacies are as noteworthy as the brilliant art they have managed to acquire and showcase for the world’s appreciation.
The Frick Collection
The Frick, located in the heart of Manhattan, originated with Henry Clay Frick (1849 - 1919), who came from a relatively modest upbringing, eventually gaining wealth and influence in Pittsburgh’s iron and steel industries. But what made him evil? For one thing, Frick was a stubborn opponent of organized labor and eventually, as Rosen reminded us, played a large role in the violent breaking of the Homestead strike of 1892. Frick’s legacy highlights the complex nature of how we perceive and interpret “evilness” while also admiring a beautiful collection. So let’s keep diving in.
Hearst Castle
Hearst’s Castle is an incredible architectural feat located on a hilltop in San Simeon, California— it is only accessible by a precarious, windy bus ride provided by the estate.
More commonly known as ‘the publishing tycoon,’ William Randolph Hearst (1863 - 1951) was born into wealth, with his family having major ties in mining, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and eventually, publishing. Hearst quickly rose in the publishing world after pioneering yellow journalism, which is the term given to sensationalist news writing meant to garner high viewership and elicit strong reactions of fear and outrage (often toward the working class and minority groups).
While accounts vary, the word evil has been used to describe Hearst in large part due to his “selective quotation” in his publishing business, having often been accused of manipulating public perception for personal gain. The ‘evilness’ associated with figures like Hearst often stems from the toxic levels of unchecked power, where nothing seems out of reach, and everything, even written, published wor, is easily manipulated.
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, established in 1956 in Lisbon, is home to an incredible, well-rounded collection, including “Portrait of Helena Fourment” by Peter Paul Rubens and “Saint Martin Dividing his Cloak” by Rogier van der Weyden. Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869 - 1955) is often celebrated for his philanthropic contributions. Simultaneously, his legacy remains controversial, having acquired his wealth through monopolistic and exploitative practices in the oil industry.
Much like the billionaires of today, many of these collectors had aspects of their lives that only came to light many years later. Nonetheless, it seems true across the board that those who acquire unfathomable amounts of wealth generally have some evil twists in their stories. As one TikTok user, @eesee, added,
“Dude I tell everybody that my favorite (and the best) tourist destinations are old dead guy’s houses turned into a museum and I have been to so many but I never really connected [sic] the eviler the better!”
It’s important to remember the nuance here: despite the questionable ethical practices of private curators, they’ve provided us with incredible collections and valuable educational spaces. So, how do we move forward knowing what we know? Just post satirical TikTok videos about “rich dudes” with incredible art collections? Write open-ended op-ed pieces glossing over just a few examples of these potentially problematic historical characters? Can we (or should we) separate the art from the artist, or the collection from its collector?
The answers remain complex, layered, and unanswered. So, the next time you visit a private collection, do your research and determine the level of ‘evil’ that went into making the collection— and remember, it's layered, it’s multifaceted, it's demure!
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