arts & life

coll e c t i n g

Photo by David Lewinski

Photo by David Lewinski

Alan and Rebecca Ross in their Bloomfield home

Without Rules

A local couple open the
doors to their collection
with an exhibition at ArtNxt.

Suzanne Chessler | Contributing Writer

R

Sweet Tweet by Tim Hawkinson is
one of Alan Ross’ favorite finds.

details

“Without Rules” will be on view
through April 3 at ArtNxt in
Birmingham; the gallery is open
afternoons Thursdays-Sundays.
Rebecca and Alan Ross will speak
about their collection at 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 19.
(248) 881-2612; artnxt.net.

38 March 17 • 2016

ebecca and Alan Ross began
acquiring art some 25 years ago,
establishing themselves in a com-
munity of collectors, artists, presenters, deal-
ers and students.
The couple — often traveling widely to
extend holdings of diverse prints, paintings,
ceramics and sculptures — gladly open their
Bloomfield home to art enthusiasts and
students. Sometimes, the guests are the art-
ists themselves, like figurative sculptor Will
Ryman, leaving distant studios to experience
the Michigan artistic environment.
For the first time, the Rosses have allowed
some of their finds to be on public display
and will talk about those pieces as part of a
favorite pastime that has introduced them to
a wide range of approaches, from the prints
of Sol LeWitt to the collage sculptures of
Christian Tedeschi, a Cranbrook Academy of
Art graduate.
“Without Rules,” the title of the exhibit
and an expression of their eclectic collecting
outlook, runs through April 3 at ArtNxt in
Birmingham. The Rosses curated the show
and will discuss their art-related adventures

at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 19. The exhibit
includes pieces by Max Bill, Robert Indiana,
Robert Rauschenberg, Pierre Alechinsky
(born in Brussels to Russian-Jewish immi-
grant parents) and more.
The exhibit launches a series of ArtNxt
exhibitions titled “Collector’s Eye,” which
invites regional collectors to communicate
the process, challenges and rewards of accru-
ing fine art.
“A big part of collecting is the people, and
we love them,” says Rebecca, 55, who serves
on the board of governors at Cranbrook
Academy of Art, recently completed her
term as chair of the Detroit Institute of Arts’
Friends of Modern and Contemporary Art,
and has been a member of the board of
directors of the Detroit Artists Market.
“We want to demystify art collecting. It
can be very intimidating, especially for new-
comers. We want to open their horizons and
let them know that they can find beautiful
pieces everywhere, including a second-hand
store. It’s just following your eye and taste to
find what you love.”
The exhibit will be an overview of their

art — from where they began with prints
and lithographs to where they are now with
mainstream contemporary pieces.
“We’re very influenced by everything
around us,” says Alan, 61, who serves on the
International Board of the Eli and Edythe
Broad Museum at Michigan State University,
his alma mater. “We’ve very open-minded
and liberal toward all artists and all eras of
art. We don’t discriminate.”
The Rosses started collecting seriously
when they were refurbishing their home
and have come to appreciate all facets of the
process.
“We’ve both been collectors of different
things our whole lives,” Alan says. “I’d go to
garage sales and the Salvation Army as a vin-
tage clothes shopper.
“As we renovated our house, the walls
were bare. We had started with furniture and
chose a lot of limited-edition prototype piec-
es known as Memphis designs, some soon to
be on view at Cranbrook.”
To complement the furniture, the Rosses
searched galleries and fairs for artworks they
found captivating. They enjoyed the pursuit