I know you’re going to make fun of me, so let’s just get this out there: I bought art on a cruise ship. OK, laugh. While gallery owners and art appraisers will mock you for this, you could do worse.
My husband and I faced an unusual situation at our house: a blank wall. I had moved some art around, leaving an empty wall in the entryway. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but my husband and I have different tastes and different philosophies about acquiring art.
I like to buy art from local artists. He likes art from “known” artists. We also both work so don’t have the luxury of strolling through art galleries or going to art auctions at Sotheby’s.
If, while out on my own, I see a piece I like, chances of getting him to see it are slim, and chances he’ll like it even slimmer. So, the wall stayed bare. “We’ll look on our cruise,” he said a couple of months back, referring to a long-planned vacation.
I sighed. He’s a bigger fan of cruises. The thought of these oversized ships with their central parks, ice rinks, massive buffets and free-flowing alcohol used to make me want to climb into a tent with a granola bar and read a book by flashlight.
But he persuaded me to try. I have come around. And that’s marriage.
He has also persuaded me to attend the ship’s art auctions, which I used to think were cheesy, because, in fact, some of the art for sale is cheesy, like the kind where two olives hold hands and dance in a martini glass. Park West, the company .