Article #20 – A Series Verses A Collection

Art Lady – Arrachme

Often, I will hear artists refer to their work as a collection of art. For those that like to use art world terminology correctly, you will be well on your way to knowing the difference between series and collection.  This is another artworld tip that will make you an expert when viewing an exhibition or shopping for art.

A Series

A series refers to a cohesive unified body of work that has similarities. The similarities could be the subject matter, size, similar techniques, connected colors, the use of mediums, or all the above. When viewing a series, it will be obvious that the paintings are a related family.  Fine artists create multiple paintings that have like characteristics to form different series.

How Many?

It may take years to complete a series.  I generally stop producing a series when I reached thirty paintings. Why thirty? A series is an identifiable category that the artist creates including a short-written synopsis of their intention.  It’s the how and why the grouping was created.  In my early career days when I relied on being invited to exhibit in galleries, the gallerist would ask to see about thirty pieces to qualify that I had produced a proper series. You might gasp thinking about the time it took to create a body of work that large. The professional world of art takes daily dedicated focus and prolific acumen. It most definitely encompasses constant physical labor. By reading this article you can now see that to qualify a series it does not mean the artist created a few similar paintings, got bored then moved on to something else.

A series is not to be confused with the word tryptic. A tryptic is art made up of three pieces that complete a narrative. It might be a story that the artist wishes to convey. In fine art, it may also be three paintings that show different elements that stream together when hung. Think of it as a decorative plate.  Break it into three pieces. When hung they flow together as one. They are not made because artists needed an inexpensive way to ship an item, or they simply could not find a large enough canvas. Triptychs come and go as fade. Currently, they are popular.

Collections

Let’s move on to collections. It is defined as an accumulation of work by a private individual or a public institution. Simply put, a collector collects. An excellent example of this is The Dali Museum Collection. Eleanor Morse had great enthusiasm for the artist Salvador Dali. She amassed a large collection of his work which included at least 2000 pieces. The first painting was acquired in 1941. The artwork eventually outgrew her home. A collection often finds its way to museums as donations for many reasons. Tax debt imposed on heirs can be a less romantic motivation. The collection ended up being donated to St. Petersburg Florida where a museum was erected in dedication to Dali. There is much more to the story which you might enjoy researching. A day trip to this museum with friends is my idea of great fun.

Dali paid homage to symbols. One of the beloved symbols that he enjoyed was the contrast in the egg. His fascination was the contrast between the hard shell and its soft inside. The painting in this article is one of my egg paintings which was created for a 2014 exhibition and then donated to Haegeumgang Museum in South Korea.

So now you are the expert on the words series, collection, and even a bonus word, tryptic. Happy collecting!