The art of art collection

Without art collectors where would artists be? Fostering new generations of collectors is a vital part of the economy of the visual arts in New Zealand. But if collectors drive the art world, what drives art collectors? The Auckland Art Gallery's "My Art Collectors" series creates a platform to hear from collectors, curators and artists with the aim of inspiring the art lovers and collectors of today and tomorrow. Lynn Freeman talks to two of the contributors to the conversation. Sue Gardiner is a co-Director of the Chartwell Collection and Trustee of the Chartwell Trust, an independent body whose collection of more than 1600 works of New Zealand, Australian and international contemporary art has been acquired over 40 years. And Sonja Hawkins is a founding partner of interest-free art loans business, MyArt. Sonja is an avid collector herself and offers some tips on how to build a strong collection.