Reading the Art World: Marguerite Steed Hoffman and Gavin Delahunty
Reading the Art World episode ten: a conversation with Marguerite Steed Hoffman, avid art collector and philanthropist and Gavin Delahunty , Dallas-based curator about their book Amor Mundi: The Collection of Marguerite Steed Hoffman.
I hope one of the things that young collectors or maybe old collectors will think about and reflect on as they look through the book is their own journey and all the relationships that they have had, that have led them to their own place, wherever they are as collectors That it’s not just a series of transactions. — Marguerite Steed Hoffman
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Order the book here .
This two-volume book reveals the thinking behind the remarkable art collection built by Marguerite and her late husband Robert Hoffman—a collection of exceptional quality formed with a personal passion and an eye toward its ultimate public legacy as a gift to the Dallas Museum of Art. The book and our conversation are a study in collecting—how to collect thoughtfully and with intention to create something that is more than an assemblance of great objects.
Published by Ridinghouse, the book features over 400 works of modern and contemporary art from the collection, and in an inspired stroke: essays and reflections by 30 authors— not only art historians, but artists writing about artists in the collection and creating unique works for this book.
The book is in of itself a work of art. Much like the collection, the book mirrors the collector’s sensibility — from the design, materials, paper and font choices to the reproductions, this book is a tribute to the artists and works in the collection.
Marguerite spent much of her personal and professional life immersed in the art world, working at the Dallas Museum of Art, then in the art market, while also serving on boards and committees of major nonprofits, including the Dallas Museum of Art and the Harvard Art Museums. I speak with Ms. Hoffman about her passion for art, inspiration behind the collection and its evolution over the years.
Contributors
Martin Jay, Renée Green, Susan L. Aberth, Sarah Celeste Bancroft, Renate Bertlmann, Anna Katherine Brodbeck, Susan Davidson, Gavin Delahunty, TR Ericsson, Tamar Garb, Robert Gober, Rachel Haidu, Merlin James, Wyatt Kahn, Ragnar Kjartansson, Anna Lovatt, Leora Maltz-Leca, Nic Nicosia, Charles Ray, Mark Rosenthal, Dana Schutz, Barry Schwabsky, Richard Shiff, Raphaela Simon, Michelle Stuart, Kirsten Swenson, Mary Weatherford, Terry Winters. Interviews by Martin Jay and Marguerite Steed Hoffman, Gavin Delahunty and Isabelle Graw.
Learn more about Reading the Art World here.