 oward Farber, the New York real estate investor, started acquiring Chinese contemporary art more than a decade ago. Now, while everyone is scrambling to get ahold of it at auctions, Mr. Farber, 65, is putting part of his collection up for sale -- at a Phillips de Pury auction on October 13, 2007. In an interview with ArtZineChina.com, Mr. Farber talks about why he's finally selling some works, but also why he's still collecting. Among the 44 works Mr. Farber and his wife Patricia have put up for auction, are paintings and other pieces created by Wang Guangyi, Zhang Xiaogang, Xu Bing, Huang Yongping, Gu Wenda, Zhang Peili, Yue Minjun, Cai Guoqiang, Fang Lijun, Chen Zhen, Ai Weiwei, Wang Qingsong, Geng Jianyi, Yang Shaobin, Zheng Guogu and other early works by top artists. Here is what Mr. Farber had to say:
 ArtZineChina: Give me an idea of how and when you decided to first collect Chinese contemporary art?
Mr. Farber: It started during a trip to Hong Kong and China in 1995. In Hong Kong I visited, I believe, it was Hanart Gallery. I walked in and flipped out! I have never before seen such wonderful images and I knew at that moment that this was my next love.
ArtZineChina: Over that period, what kind of works were you most interested in collecting?
Mr. Farber: At that time I was collecting American "modernist" art... That is the period from 1909 to 1935. I focused on the Stieglitz Circle of artists...For example, Georgia Okeeffe, John Marin, Marsden Hartley. I started collecting those artists work in the early 1970's for very little money. For US $5,000 you could buy an important work of art. The "art market" did not really recognize those artists as "important." However, over the years, a $5,000 painting grew to $50,000 and then to $500,000 which killed my ability to collect. When I found Chinese contemporary I knew that there was virtually no market at the time, but I loved what I saw and started to collect works by Wang Guangyi, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi.
ArtZineChina: Did you have any pattern you were following in your collecting -- trying to collect based on themes or periods of time?
 Mr. Farber: My initial thought was to use 1989 as a starting point of my collection. However, over the years I found wonderful historic iconic works from 1986 and 1987, so that idea went out the window. I bought what I liked. I never bought works in bulk... I learned from my American collection that you must only buy the best. Quantity means nothing. People still ask me: "How many artworks do I own?" I try to explain that 10 great works are better than 1000 mediocre ones.
ArtZineChina: When was the most important period of collecting -- or the most intense?
Mr. Farber: I would say that once I got hooked on Chinese contemporary art I was hooked. The biggest amount of purchases were probably done in the 1987-1999 period.
ArtZineChina: What led you to decide to sell or auction off your collection? Why now?
Mr. Farber: I am NOT selling my collection. I am selling a portion of my collection. I still have my homes in New York and South Beach, Florida full of great Chinese contemporary works. In 2001, I started to collect Cuban Contemporary Art. It has no real commercial market except for a few artists that are known internationally. I was able to put together a first class collection of Cuban contemporary art. The collection is now on a five-year museum tour throughout the United States titled "Cuba Avant-Garde," with a 188-page book in English and Spanish.  When the University of Florida Museum came to my storage room to measure all the Cuban works, I realized what else I had sitting in storage. I owned masterpieces! Some I have not seen since the day I acquired them. I realized that this is crazy and that the public, Museums, important private collectors should be able to enjoy these works... so I decided to sell them.
ArtZineChina: Will you auction your entire collection of Chinese contemporary art, or just most of it?
Mr. Farber: Only a portion. I am still buying Chinese Contemporary art and now I am filling in gaps to my collection and also buying some emerging artists.
Last year I spent the most amount of money for ANY work of art that I have collected in almost 40 years for a Fang Lijun work. I paid $513,200 at a Christies Contemporary Sale in New York last November. So, as you can see I am still buying. That work is now in my living room.
ArtZineChina: Did you always intend to sell? Were you collecting as an investor or as a long term collector?
Mr. Farber: That is actually a funny question because there was NO market for the works I bought from 1995 to probably 2003. I had no plans to sell any works. I am a true collector. I am interested in provenance which is very important to me and that every collector should interested in. Where was it exhibited?, Where was it reproduced? The basic history of the painting.
ArtZineChina: Does this mean you believe this is the market peak?
 Mr. Farber: Absolutely not... I have heard the word peak, bubble etc. etc. This is just the beginning. If you compare pricing of the top 5 Chinese contemporary artists to the Top 5 Western artists there is a great disparity. China will own the 21st Century. I have just convinced one of my daughters to start collecting it.
ArtZineChina: Which pieces did you decide to keep?
Mr. Farber: I have works by Zhang Xiaogang Yue Minjun, Zeng Fanzhi, Yu Hong, Li Shan, Wang Qingsong, Wenda Gu, Wang Jin, Wang Keping... all early works。
ArtZineChina: What happens to your organization called China Avant-Garde?
Mr. Farber: I haven't really been a dealer for years. I realized at an early point that I am a true collector! My website hasn't been updated for almost seven years, except for today's date.
ArtZineChina: Are you selling to redirect your money into another kind of venture -- say Indian or European or American art, or are you just deciding not to hold art?
Mr. Farber: No. I will continue with acquiring Chinese contemporary and Cuban contemporary art.
ArtZineChina: What will be the most difficult piece to see go under the hammer?
 Mr. Farber: Interesting question.These are all like neglected children as I haven't lived with them and they have been in storage. The Phillips sale contains so many "iconic" works like: Wang Guangyi's "Coca Cola" (1993), Zeng Fanzhi's "Hospital Triptych" (1992), Cai Guo Qiang's "UFO" work, Wang Guangyi's "Mao" triptych (1988)...
There are soo many.
ArtZineChina: How often do you come to China? Where did you buy most of your works -- through dealers or directly from the artists, or at auction? Could you give some idea of how you got works and how much you paid? I read in Bloomberg News that you paid about $25,000 for a Wang Guangyi piece. Is that true?
Mr. Farber: Yes. I paid $25,000 for Wang Guangyi's "Coca Cola" in 1995. Bloomberg calculated that I will make 50 times my money, but I never figured that. My feeling is: How can I ever replace it? It's historic and a major work. I bought it before it appeared in the "Inside -Out" show at the Asia Society [in New York]. It then traveled for a few years and went into storage. I come to China now once or twice a year. I am generally buying the works from artists because for many years we’ve become friends. But sometimes I buy from galleries. I think the art market in China has become more serious. Galleries spend more money on promoting the artists. So in this I would like to buy from the galleries directly. Some works I bought at auction.
ArtZineChina: Have you ever collected photos, videos and sculptures?
 Mr. Farber: Yes. I’ve bought some wonderful sculptures. I have an early work of Sui Jianguo’s Mao suit. It’s in my home. Everyone who sees it loves it. I have one of Chen Zhen’s works – the chair he made w/ candles. This work I’m going to put in the auction. About photographs, I think Wang Jinsong’s works I love the most. He’s a combination of a set designer and a photographer. His work now is even better than before. I have never separated photographs from other art mediums. Many photographers also paint. And collectors collect both. Video is not my thing. I have a problem to store it and exhibit it and appreciate it. I think it’s more for institutes and museums.
ArtZineChina: Are you interested in younger artists?
Mr. Farber: Absolutely. When I walk down the street in New York I see young people, I feel “ Boy, they are so young! ” It makes me feel old. When I go to auction I see young collectors, they’re running to be first; it reminds me of when I was young. I think in China, there are lots of emerging artists. I recently collected works from Beijing artists Xu Ruotao and Qiu Xiaofei. I think their works are quite good.
ArtZineChina: Who do you think is the most underrated Chinese artists?
Mr. Farber: Well, I would say it is Wang Guangyi. He is one of the top artists but his price is much lower. I think 10 years from now he’ll be like Andy Warhol. People are saying the same things they said about Andy Warhol. He produces the same thing over and over. But now Andy warhol’s art sells for a lot. I think Wang Guangyi will be the next Andy Warhol. They have a similar style.
 ArtZineChina: Do you think there are any good critics or curators?
Mr. Farber: Yes. I don’t know all their names though. They are not good, they are brilliant. But I think they are lacking of opportunities because China lacks museums. But they sometimes curate good shows outside of China. I would like to see China open more museums to public so people can appreciate art.
ArtZineChina: Where do you generally get the information about Chinese art?
Mr. Farber: When I started collecting art works, no place I could get information. I can’t keep track of shows or artists or art fairs. But a good thing is big galleries always have a web site, with pictures that can keep me sharp. Before I read Asia Art & Archives but they often have information I don’t want, like Indian art…. That I don’t want. I am only interested in Chinese. But with your web site [ArtZineChina.com], your writing is very deep with the interviewer and substantive. As a matter of fact, you are probably the only one for the collector who just started or the collector in the west. I think all the auction houses should be linked to your web site because you give the collectors deep insight. It’s an important medium.
 ArtZineChina: Is there anything else I haven't asked that you'd like to emphasize for this story?
Mr. Farber: The only thing I want to say is that I always wanted to do something important to spread the awareness of Chinese contemporary art. I used my website, I did a press conference in Beijing in 1999... with no real results. I think the best thing that I will ever do is to release these works so that museums and private collectors will enjoy them. THAT will make me happy.
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