Yesterday evening I took a drive to Salt Lake to attend a fine art tour at a private home in the city. The weather is starting to finally feel like summer, but my friend Melissa Soltesz and I thought it was still a bit too windy to put down the top in the convertible. We parked in front of the home of Jonathan and Leanne Freedman, not knowing what treasures would wait us.  In addition to his retail businesses, Freedman sits on the executive board of the Young Benefactors at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and generously offered his home for the art tour.

We walked into the (modestly sized) home and were handed an art guide for the tour. Each room has a new surprise of fine, contemporary artwork. The pieces ranged from a Gary Ernest Smith painting to Takashi Murakami prints. The traditional work is all by Utah based artists, while the more modern works are from artists from all over the world. I felt like quite the voyeur as I walked through their home, surveying the art.

The variety was intriguing, but you could certainly tell that the Freedmans have a few favorites. Andy Warhol in particular. When I asked what their favorite piece was, Jonathon mentioned that it was their most recent: a Grace Kelly piece by Warhol, which is one of around 15 Warhols in their collection. Getting an excellent value for their art purchases (even buying artworks on Ebay!)  is also important to these collectors.

The largest piece in the collection is a Brian Kershisnik painting, featuring Ruth. The piece is a tight fit for their stairwell, but suits the room and the feeling of the home quite well. I’ve worked with Kershisnik in the past, and his collectors are incredibly loyal. Such is the case with the Freedmans, who have several Kershisnik drawings and paintings in some of their most intimate rooms in their home.

Thanks to the Freedmans for this peek into their home and art collection.

Kathleen Peterson “A Wait for Sun” Oil

Coming up next weekend, don’t miss the Spring City Arts Plein Air Competition. The plein air painters will be out and about in Spring City from the 17th to the 19th, and the Competition Art Show and Sale is on the 20th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to walk around the historic town and watch the artists paint their own chosen scenes. All of the paintings in the plein air competition will be on display and available for sale on the 20th. Artists who want to participate can even sign up at the event. The Spring City Arts website has more information.

Spring City is in Sanpete County; it’s remote but also full of fantastic artistic energy and some of your favorites live there: Kathleen Peterson, Michael Workman, Sharron Evans, Lee Udall Benion, Douglas Fryer, and more. Get together a group of friends and carpool down to the event.

The University of Utah Fine Art Museum’s (UMFA) “Money to Picasso” exhibit runs for only a few more days: September 21st is the last day to visit this extraordinary exhibit. The collection is thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Art, which chose four museums across the country to show their collection as they undergo renovations.

From the UMFA website: “Masterworks by artists Renoir, Degas, Monet, van Gogh, Dalí, Picasso and Matisse grace the walls of the Museum’s first floor galleries. Monet to Picasso will allow you the rare opportunity to see an extraordinary gathering of work up close by some of the most important European modern masters of the last two centuries.” I’ve been twice and I’m sure I could use a third.