When Ronald G. Pisano and I began to frequent New York galleries, private dealers, and auctions in the early 1970s, in-depth research on American art and artists was pretty much in its infancy. Few universities had art history programs geared to American art, and the market was still fluid in terms of ordering artists on any hierarchical scale related to importance or value. In short we were on our own. Collecting was at times both frustrating and exhilarating, and certainly not dull. We met many colorful characters along the way, and came to know the “ins and outs” of collecting and the gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, foibles of other collectors, dealers, artist descendants, scholars, and curators. Collecting demanded full attention to detail and sometimes quick decision making; and we came to know the difference between simply accumulating and collecting with a point of view to achieve a cohesive and focused collection of American art. In short, it was a great adventure.
