Principle of R 20th Century at Design Miami/2008.
WHITEWALL: What do you feel is the difference between design and fine art?
EVAN SYNDERMAN: Design. What is great about it is that it’s approachable. And we encourage people to interact with it. You should have some kind of emotional reaction when you look at it. That is good design. But we always love to get our clients to interact with it. And sometimes you have to show by example. They have to get comfortable enough to touch it (Laughter). And I do that a lot.
WW: Can you tell me a little about about your gallery?
ES: The gallery is based in New York. We’ve been around since 1997. We specialize in 20th century and contemporary design. What we do is we represent designers in the same way an art gallery represents their artists. We do exhibitions and publications of their work. We develop markets. We are interested in designers that were overlooked in the past, as well as new designers from around the world: from Europe, and the US, and Asia. So we are constantly looking for new things. When we get our eye on a designer we like to help them develop their work. I encourage people to experiment.
WW: So, have you been at the fair here before?
ES: Yes. We’ve been here since the beginning. We came here the first year. We go to Switzerland, and then we do only one other fair which is in London. It’s a great show. And I feel like we’ve finally made it with the current building. Before it was very spread out, so its really great to have everyone in the same space. It’s a very small fair.
WW: Yes. Very different than the art fairs.
ES: The galleries here are really the best galleries in the world.
WW: What do you think is the reason that this is such a very small fair, versus the large scale of the art fairs?
ES: The Design world is really very small, and it is only about ten years old. And it is only going to grow. So what we have here are the pioneering galleries. It would be like Art Basel 35 years ago. So it is a really an exciting time. And there is still so much work to be uncovered, and so many designers to be discovered. It feels like we’re just getting started. And the difference is that we are still very much affordable. I mean the collectors…you can buy a major piece, a very important piece, for under a hundred thousand dollars. Once you get above that amount, there is not even anything in that price range. So there is still a huge amount of growth. And there are still very few people collecting.
WW: Can you describe the typical design collector?
ES: You can literally count them on your hands. I mean there are still very few people who are really design collectors. When I say collector, I mean people who have a warehouse where they keep their work, just like people might house their art collection. I mean, a lot of the buyers are done when they have filled up their house. So, we are starting to see that change.
WW: So you think that there is an expanding market?
ES: Yes. Even in this climate. You know, of course, like everyone you have to work a little bit harder and you have to be a bit more careful. But the buying market is still growing and people still want the important works. All the great design is still really affordable.
WW: Do you see a difference in this fair, in the behavior of the collector as a reaction to what has been going on in the economy? Has their been conversation about this within the design world?
ES: Of course it feels a little different. There are fewer clients maybe. But it still seems like there is energy. It is actually the time to buy. It’s a better time to buy than to sell. There are really great deals out there. So, as a collector I think it’s a good time. There is going to be a little shake down. But this is a good thing.
WW: What are the trends that you have been noticing? And what is the direction that you as a gallery have been following?
ES: Well the gallery always has been interested in objects that are made by hand. And I think what has made our gallery a little bit unique is the hybrid that we look for, between designer and craftsman. I really have a problem with design that is drawn on a computer and made by machine. It doesn’t speak to me. Not that it’s bad. There is some great design like this. But you can really tell the difference when there is a story behind it.
