Daily Front Row

2009 April 16

Cynthia's Artsy Fix

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The cover of Phillips de Pury & Company’s latest “Saturday@Phillips” auction catalogue
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(NEW YORK) Cynthia Rowley may be known more for her quirky sense of style than for her passion for art collecting, but all that may be about to change. Rowley and her husband Bill Powers have been featured on the cover of Phillips de Pury & Company’s latest “Saturday@Phillips” auction catalogue, as part of its “Tastemaker” series. Powers’ artistic penchant is hardly surprising; in addition to being the man behind Ms. Rowley, he’s also co-owner of Half Gallery on the Lower East Side (along with Andy Spade and James Frey), editor at large for Purple magazine and artistic director at Tar magazine and Tar Siz publishing.

The catalog has just gone on sale (aligning with Phillips’ April 25 auction of contemporary and urban art, photographs, design and toy art) and features Dean Kaufman's photos of Rowley and Powers--with a sneaky appearance on the cover of their 9-year-old daughter Kit’s hand. As for their collection? The couple shows off drawings, photographs, paintings, and sculpture by the likes of Richard Prince, Marc Newson, Andy Warhol and more. Rowley says the variety is what makes it special. “To us the exciting part about collecting art is that our taste changes,” she said, “so our collection is a combination of things we would never give up--pieces that will become part of our children’s collection, and their children’s collection--along with parts that are meant to reconfigure and evolve. We like mixing works by contemporary artists with more personal treasures; we have an Elizabeth Peyton portrait of Pete Doherty next to a self-portrait by my grandmother.”
EMILY GYBEN