At Home With... Ric and Mirko
Ric and Mirko have been living in Amersfoort for the last three years. Their bright, sunny mid-century apartment showcases their extensive art collection which includes sculpture, unframed prints, screen prints, etchings and of course, photography from Elliott Gallery.
There’s a number of works neatly stacked in Ric’s office, ready to be displayed when they feel like a change. But the current images have been on the walls for a while, as they love them too much to take them down!
Why did you start collecting art?
Ric: We both like art, and to buy and collect art. More than we can handle! Our new home in Amersfoort has more open space with less walls. But we are greedy! We appreciate art. In fact, we have a lot of unframed prints, screen prints and etchings, as well as the pieces you see on display. When we go overseas or on holiday somewhere, we love to visit galleries. It’s part of our life, along with museums. We have used the Kunstkoop scheme to buy art. It was a scheme that, since the 1950’s, enabled you to purchase art in installments, without having to pay interest. Great for artists and collectors. But we never purchased art to make money. No!
Billiew en Paduey IIII, 2022 by David van Dartel
Bloemen in de schemering, 2022 by David van Dartel
Were your families also interested in art?
Mirko: I grew up on Texel, and remember going to my first art gallery - Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam - with my parents, when I was about five. My parents loved art, as did a good friend. I got influenced... got the bug – though I’m not artistic.
Ric: I grew up in Amsterdam and discovered art by myself. I remember visiting the Rijksmuseum in the last days of primary school and being amazed by some Japanese drawings. I would have been about ten or eleven. I also learned about making art at school. Graphics, brochure making, proportion, drawing, silkscreen, book binding, etching...there was no pressure, and it was a wonderful thing – fun!
Tree Reflection, 2020 by Matthew Murray
What made you visit Elliott Gallery in Amsterdam?
Ric: David van Dartel. It was the first exhibition we saw at Addie’s, I looked it up – the 1st of May 2020. We have had the pleasure to meet him a couple of times – he is such a lovely boy! Modest and very talented. We’d already bought three of his works, so it was great to go along (to Elliott Gallery) and meet him again. I’d read about him long before on his website and liked the colours, his stylised images...
Sil in Malaga, 2022 by David van Dartel
Sil in de Schemering II, 2020 by David van Dartel
Red Giant, 2019 by Barnaby Irish
Zelfportret op het strand I, Self-portrait at the beach, 2014 by David van Dartel
You’ve also bought pieces by another artist you met – Matthew Murray. Is meeting/liking the Artist important in your decision to own their work?
Ric: I’d already bought something by him before we met – “Jack”. My favourite piece is Jack. I have Jack, front and back. Addie is jealous, she only has the front! I want to complete this triptych with the third ‘side’picture in the series... I have an option on it.
Mirko: And I went along and he was a very nice person and I saw a picture and I just can’t explain, but I had to have it. He told a very nice story about having a horrible day photographing in Wales. It was raining and the day was lost – but somehow he captured this one great image of a tree that was reflected in a lake. You can even see water drops falling on the surface of the lake. So I guess a great picture with mood and meaning... and great stories when finally meeting the artist are nice.
Jack (back) from the 'Ska Series', 2013 by Matthew Murray
Jack from the 'Ska Series', 2013 by Matthew Murray
A lot of your art features man in a natural environment. Are you interested in nature?
Ric: No...just MAN!
Addie knows what we like. She is gifted and seems to be able to predict what we will like. For example – works by Antoni and Alison. Weird! With humour! Such a laugh. A sausage with sequins... Prince Cartiee, the vibrancy of the colours... I think I was one of the first ones to look at that. It made me feel very special.
We were also very interested to see some test prints (works in progress). It made me feel very special. Seeing them gave our gallery experience an extra dimension. And we loved to be there. It was so easy to fit in. Some galleries make you feel very uncomfortable, but Addie is such a great and lovely person. We love to promote her and her gallery! One of the only down parts of living here in Amersfoort is we can’t visit all of Addie’s openings.
Sequin Sausage, 2002 by Antoni+Alison
Sundazed, 2018, by Prince Cartiee
Interviewed by Elle O’Donnell