Jonas Lie

(1880-1940)

 “Daddy, are we going to be able to eat?” This is a question that would make even the most ardent collector pause. I was returning from a visit to Cape Ann with my wife and two young children and stopped for a quick visit to Vose Gallery in Boston. There were rumblings from within the car that it was cold, we’re in a hurry, the kids are hungry and restless . . . all the typical family-related obstacles to pure collecting. I dashed into Vose’s alone for a quick survey and stood face-to-canvas in front of this spectacular Jonas Lie, filled with color and reflected light. It was fairly priced, but certainly not cheap, and I was at a low point in disposable funds. Redefining the phrase “low point,” I ran back out to the car, asked my wife what we had in the food account, and took it. This painting is a masterpiece in my eyes, but I was subjected to a barrage of abuse and tears from the back seat of the car for the next two hours while driving home. As another dedicated collector and friend once said to me, probably after a similar event happened to him, “art collecting is sometimes a contact sport.”