FINE ARTS

The Jewish Collectors'

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A week before the JCC's new museum gallery opens,
local collectors reflect on their passion
for art and collecting.

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

arilyn Schechter
has trouble put-
ting it into words.
But it's the feel-
ing she gets when she
encounters a work of for
the first time.
"I'll be completely .halted
by a piece of artwork," said
Mrs. Schechter of West
Bloomfield. "If I like it, I'm
never racked with indeci-
sion. I usually say 'Oh my
God, this is the most wonder-
ful thing.' "
Mrs. Schechter, who is
both an artist and an avid
art collector, has indulged
her passion for more than 20
years. She says she'll quit
collecting the day she passes
by a painting or sculpture
without reflecting on its
power.
"A piece of art must an-
swer as many questions as it
raises," she said. "It should
have the power to pull your
eyes inward. I have never
walked past pieces in my col-
lection without feeling they
are saying something diff-
erent to me each time."
Mrs. Schechter, who works
out of a studio in Pontiac,
said that even though her
husband knew next to
nothing when she got mar-
ried, he was open enough to
be willing to learn.
Neil Schechter, who ad-
mits his wife is the expert in
the family, is grateful for the
opportunity he's had to learn
about art and artists.
"I was more the sports en-
thusiast than art lover," Mr.
Schechter said. "But it's been
a wonderful education and
adventure. Plus it's some-
thing we both have fun do-
ing together."
The Schechters have
hunted for art for the last 20
years, but have a standing
agreement not to buy
anything unless they both
love it. Mrs.: Schechter said .
that even though she began
collecting art while still an

undergraduate at Wayne
State University, it became
something more than a
hobby after she married.
Alex Katz, a contemporary
artist from New York, was
the first major artist Mr. and
Mrs. Schechter discovered
together.
"We found one of his pain-
tings inside a Toronto art
gallery in the 1960s," Mrs.
Schechter said. "We walked
in, and we both stopped dead
in our tracks. It was diff-
erent from anything we'd
seen before."
"It" was one of many
portraits
Alex
Katz

Sharon Zimmerman, director
of the new museum gallery,
surveys gallery space from
the top floor balcony.

painted of his wife, Ada.
Her face, which dominates
the canvas, is thoughtful
and compelling, Mrs.
Schechter said.
"She doesn't have to
belong to anyone," she said.
"She is Everywoman."
Since their first important
find, the Schechters have
become intimately ac-
quainted with the many
moods of Ada.
The Schechters own three
portraits of Ada, one of
which is now on loan to the
newly completed Janice
Charach-Epstein Museum
Gallery at the Maple-Drake

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Marilyn Schechter sitting next to "Ada," one of her favorite portraits by artist, Alex Katz.

Jewish Community Center.
The opening exhibit, which
runs from July 24 through
Aug. 25, is titled, "The Art of
Collecting: The Jewish col-
lectors' experience."
Mr. Schechter said that go-
ing to an Alex Katz show is
dangerous.
"We don't always go to
shows or galleries to buy. We -
usually say lets try not to
buy something, but then
we'll literally stumble upon
something."
The Schechters have never
actually met Ada, even
though her image hangs in a
few of the rooms in their
home.
"I've always been fas-
cinated by faces," Mrs.
Schechter said. "But I'm
removed from who she (Ada)
really is. We don't generally
meet artists who aren't local
or regional.
"It's not that important for
us to have a personal con-
tact with the artist. We're
more likely to read about ar-
tists and their work."
Mr. Schechter, who is
retired from the summer
camp business, said he and
his wife have formed close
ties with gallery owners and
curators who know their
tastes and contact them when
they come across something
they're sure will interest
them.
"Many collectors start out
buying art that's not very
costly," said Mrs. Schechter.
"You learn more as you go
on, and you gradually build
up to work that's better and
better, until you focus on
your favorite artists or
themes."
The Schechters say they
are never influenced by the
artist's background or re-
ligious beliefs.
"It's probably not hard to-
day to find good art made by
Jewish artists," Mrs.
Schechter said. "Jews can
take pride in knowing that
many art movements were
founded or co-founded by
Jews.
"However, we are almost

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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