Last Saturday I was lecturing at the Los Angeles Antiques Show, and once I finished talking about the American interior decorator Billy Baldwin and his work at Villa Fiorentina, I picked up a gin and tonic at the cash bar and began gaping at the glamorous goods arranged in the Barker Hangar of the Santa Monica Air Center. (This stellar show raises money to support much-needed arts programs in California’s public schools, where even crayons, it seems, are in short supply.) Sculptures, antiques, fossils, jewels—you name it, the 14-year-old annual event had it.

The dealers’ ideas and observations were as intriguing as their wares. Alex Sarbib of Le Trianon, a gallery in San Francisco, and I chatted for quite a while about how beginning collectors can best spend their money—especially at the present time, when the economy is in such a woeful state. In particular, we discussed whether it is better for a collector to buy a second-rate piece of trophy art (i.e., a painting or sculpture by a major-league artist that misses the mark in terms of quality or greatness) or a first-rate work by a second-tier talent (i.e., a recognized artist of little celebrity wattage whose creations nonetheless exhibit demonstrable skill and enormous visual appeal). The second course of action, we agreed, is the best. Why display a less-than-perfect work of art solely for its snob appeal when you can invest in one with masterly technique despite its lesser-known signature? Searching the often-overlooked second tier can broaden the mind, be less cruel on the wallet, and give the collector (you, that is) a reputation for intrepidness. Wouldn’t that be more fulfilling than playing follow the leader?

Le Trianon’s booth was rich with possibilities, including two vintage oil paintings that caught my fancy. One is a confectionary canvas of white swans (top) by Adeline C. Baker ($9,800), which I thought would look amazing in a sunny room, against a wall upholstered in chintz printed with pencil-thin green-and-white-stripes. Another delight from the booth was this rough-and-ready depiction of a willow tree by Paul Grimm in its original raw-wood frame ($4,800). I would hang it in a sophisticated space with a macho attitude, like a library paneled with pecky cypress, furnished with worn leather chairs and sofas, and a gutsy carpet of woven rushes overlaying earth-color floor tiles.

Mitchell Owens
Editor at Large, ELLE DECOR