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SoHo-based art collector Henry Buhl has assembled, since 1993, a vast collection of photographs and sculptures devoted to one subject: hands.
While pieces of photography from Mr. Buhl’s collection have been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, as well as at various locations throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, Mr. Buhl will present sculptures from his collection for the first time ever at the Southampton Arts Center, now through July 23.
“Hand Picked: Selections from the Buhl Collection” is curated by Mr. Buhl himself, alongside Brooklyn-based artist Ryan Russo. On Sunday, Mr. Buhl presented a public tour of his exhibition at the Arts Center.
Mr. Buhl’s inspiration for the unique collection stems from his purchase of Alfred Stieglitz’s photograph of Georgia O’Keeffe’s hands, titled “Hands and Thimble,” in 1993.
“I collected a lot of little things from all over, very cheap things,” Mr. Buhl reflected. “One day, a girlfriend, Doris Bry, who was also an associate of Georgia O'Keeffe, called me up and asked, ‘Would you like to see a picture of Georgia O’Keeffe’s hands taken by Stieglitz in 1920?’ I asked what she wanted to do with it, and she said she wanted to sell it.”
Mr. Buhl, a businessman turned self-taught photographer, never studied art and was unsure what to do with the photograph. He contacted specialist Howard Greenberg, who told Mr. Buhl that it was a fine print, and he purchased it for $75,000.
Six months later, Mr. Buhl purchased his second hand-themed photograph. He hasn’t stopped since.
The collection has grown to include more than 1,100 works of art dating from 1840 to present day. Mr. Buhl aims to represent as many artists and artistic styles as possible in his collection, and the result is a vast history of 19th and 20th century photography through the medium of hands.
Recently, Mr. Buhl has focused on building his collection of hand-themed sculptures, ranging from a giant green finger, inspired by the Statue of Liberty, to a turquoise hand-shaped chair. “The sculptures are new. It's exciting—people haven’t seen them yet,” he noted. “I’m hoping to one day have one of the best sculpture collections in the world.”
Artist Edwina Sandys attended the tour, presenting her sculpture “Eve’s Apple,” one of Mr. Buhl’s favorite pieces. It depicts a white hand with long, red fingernails holding a green apple with a bite taken out of it.
Another one of Mr. Buhl’s favorite pieces in the collection is a white marble sculpture by Lorenzo Quinn, which features two hands in a circle approaching each other in a way that Mr. Buhl identifies as “giving and taking.” He said the piece echoes what he does in life: providing jobs and trade training through the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, a nonprofit organization in New York City that he founded in 1992.
More of Mr. Buhl’s favorites include a photo of the Last Supper re-created with individuals with Down Syndrome, a glass platform on the ground with thousands of miniature hands inside of it, and a viewer with a hand performing a song in sign language.
Going forward, Mr. Buhl said he plans to continue expanding his collection, specifically focusing on sculptures.
“If people like it and curators enjoy it, we plan to expand. The sculptures have been a great addition, and from here on out, we’re going to keep working with them.”
“Hand Picked: Selections from the Buhl Collection” will continue showing at the Southampton Arts Center on Jobs Lane through Sunday, July 23. Visit southamptonartscenter.org.
on Jun 6, 2017