To Buy or Not to Buy: Suzanne and I Compare Notes on 7 Paintings by Denis Nunez  

One of the fun things I like about collecting art with a partner is that you get to know one another’s preferences – generally and with respect to particular artists.

When Suzanne Snider and I are buying pieces of the most important modernist artists for our permanent collection, our preferences are almost always in total alignment. That’s because we have spent so many years studying these artists and their work that we know exactly what sort of images best represent them at various stages of their development.

It’s not so easy when choosing work by contemporary artists. These are living artists, few of whom have reached a level where they are traded by the large, international auction houses and collected by major international museums. In other words, there is no uniformity of opinion as to whose fame will endure and which of their styles and periods will be considered their best.

But that doesn’t stop us from forming our own opinions and having debates about the pros and cons of individual pieces.

Yesterday morning, Suzanne sent me 7 recently available pieces by Denis Nunez, a contemporary Nicaraguan artist that we’ve been keeping an eye on.

Rather than tell her, I asked her to guess which ones I liked (and might want to bid on) and which one I hated.

Here are the 7 pieces. (See if you agree with my favorites.)

Suzanne thought I would like #1, #2, #5, and #6. And knowing that I hate semi-abstract representations of attractive women, she guessed that I would hate #7.

She was very close. I liked #1, #2, and #6. And, yes, I hated #7.