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Deborah Buck at the new Buck House
Juan Montoya, Deborah Buck,
BUCK HOUSE celebrates the release of JUAN MONTOYA's new book,
Buck House, NYC
©Patrick McMullan,
Photo -- AMBER DE VOS/patrickmcmullan.com
The Big, Beautiful New
Buck House, NYC
©Patrick McMullan,
Photo -- AMBER DE VOS/patrickmcmullan.com
MARGARET RUSSELL, Editor in Chief of Elle Décor, celebrates The Big, Beautiful New BUCKHOUSE
Buck House, NYC
©Patrick McMullan,
Photo -- AMBER DE VOS/patrickmcmullan.com
Deborah Buck, has been showcasing her collection of antique furniture, paintings, photography, and objets d’art at Buck House for the past eight years. The bold businesswoman opened her first jewel-box like shop in 2001, right after September 11th. Eight years later, in the midst of the Great Recession, she moves to a larger location in Carnegie Hill with no fear. Rightfully so - Buck’s eye is so sharply refined that her collection holds instant investment pieces. But the space isn’t only a shop, it’s intended to serve as a modern-day salon where artists, collectors, and the simply curious can gather, talk, and be inspired. Herewith, a few words with Ms. Buck. -- Cappi Williamson
What spawned the move?
I was frustrated with having two spaces, neither of which were complete. Buck House was really tiny. We heated it with light bulbs, seriously. Before I had the gallery, it was so small that I would drive around for a week with end tables in the car, until we had a space to put them. And the gallery was fantastic, but it was a low-level space, and the landlord wouldn’t let me run it on a day-to-day business basis. It had to be app only and for events. While the events were great, there would people who wouldn’t make it to the event and want to come back. So we were constantly buzzing back and forth. I had wanted to consolidate and then this space became available. I felt as thought the economy was not giving my business any energy, so I had to do something. I opened little Buck House 2 months after Sept. 11, so I’ve always been pretty fearless. The business has ot feed my head, so when its not changing or grown and I’m not learning, then I have to do something to generate that energy for myself first, and then that translates to the public, clients, and everyone else. I needed something to give the business a kick in the ass.
Things occur spontaneously here. People can sit down and we can talk about whatever the artwork is, whatever we’re showing, so I ca have conversations about art and design here.
We’ve had three events here. A showing of Janis Provisor’s fine art jewelry, and Elle Décor hosted the launch, which was a blast. We had Juan Montoya’s book party here, and, the next event will be February 2nd, when Susan Rockefeller launches her jewelry line, which benefits Oceana, she and I are both council members for Oceana, which is about protecting and defending the oceans of the world, and she’s done a line of jewelry which is inspired by the oceans – pearls, etc. It’s something close to my heart – I grew up in Baltimore, and have always sailed. I think it has something to do with Buck House Blue – when I first saw the Caribbean I thought, “that’s what color water should be.” I’m very excited about this, because it’s the first time Buck House has been able to be a venue for a philanthropic escapade. I want to really showcase fearless artists and designers, and support philanthropic events here.
I know this space is an art gallery as well as a design mecca. Can you talk about some of the artists you have in the store?
There is a combination of up-and-coming and established artists. We have Doug Hall, who is a photographer, and Sally Gall, also a contemporary photographer. Then, we have historic vintage photographs. I love Madeline Weinrib, whose another artist that’s become a businesswoman.
Do you have your own work here?
I frequently have one or two pieces of my own work, sort of slipped in…
What mediums do you work in?
Painting and drawing on paper. I worked for 20 years as a painter and showed in museums and galleries. It’s very liberating now not to try to struggle with these huge canvasses, and just work on paper, and when I took the onus off trying to show them. And it was so interesting because everything comes full circle, so now my work has a venue and I sell it, and other dealers take pieces and sell them. It’s that old story that letting go of something kind of brings it right back into your life.
And if you look around, the shop looks different because it comes from a painter’s, and artist’s head, that’s why this is so different, why isn’t really a shop. I curate with the same mindset that I paint with – that is, that I’m very in touch with my aesthetic instinct. It’s bread in my bone, and it’s been there since I was a little girl, but it’s also very informed, because I never stop teaching and looking and learning. But what’s different is I’m looking for these objects to inform one another while they’re informing me. And they make their way into my art – tassels, crowns – it’s a conversation between the art and objects. It’s about knowing good things, but it’s also knowing about how to get the most of it in the same way as a painter does. I always loved the expression “a riot of color.” When I paint, I try to get the most out of each mark by what its juxtaposed against, just to make it really “pow,” and I do the same thing in my tableaux.
I’m a very happy girl, after twenty years of painting my brains out, this really satisfies me in a way that didn’t; the isolation killed me. I mean, I think in the past I kind of drank the Kool-Aid, the kind of Jackson Pollack macho Kool-Aid. I really bought into his macho stigma that you have to be there for the work – you have to be there 8 hours a day, but its not true. When I go into the studio now, I can do in an hour and a half what used to take a day. I’m ready to roar, I don’t have to flop around waiting to get my energy to that place.
You just recently self-published a book, “Tableau.” What inspired you to do the book, and to do it yourself?
With the book, I met with every sort of editor at publishing houses, and I got great, positive feedback about it. I spoke with every major editor of a house, and we had long meetings. Then, we ‘d get to marketing and they would say, “It needs to be a how-to book,” or she has to be Martha Stewart and already have a TV show, a platform. I tried to write the how-to book, and I did a proposal and we got pretty close, but I got sad every time I thought about writing this how-to book because I don’t know how to tell you to get in touch with your inner self. These tableaux are my art, and I wanted to showcase it in that way, to be interpreted and inspiring, not to tell you how to do it. It needs to get re-interpreted through each reader’s own guts, their own filters. And if I cause someone to put a couple of things together on their desk, then that’s fantastic.
Going back to your signature color, Buck House Blue. Can you talk more about how you chose it – what caught your eye about this particular shade that made you want to work into your business?
It’s just a color that has always seemed like magic to me. There’s a certain amount of plasticity in the color. It pops, it’s not natural. I grew up on a farm were you don’t see a lot of turquoise, so it always seemed magic. And when I opened, I wanted to create a brand for this new “design lab” to set it apart. Every time I had a color choice, I used turquoise. It became Buck House Blue – the stripes became iconic, and I just went with it. Now, I’m kind of territorial about it, which is ridiculous, because you can’t own a color. But, I feel like I really rock it. When we had our last event, everyone wore turquoise accents, and it really feels like a cheerleading squad – a vote of confidence. Whenever I see turquoise in the world, I feel like I’ve found a friend.
Travel obviously informs your work, from the Asian influences found with your signature foo dogs, to European influences. Where are you headed this year?
I’ll go to Europe in the winter. I always go in February – my boys go skiing and I go with a friend, and I like to do that because it’s really cold and bitter and no one’s there in the markets. You just eat everything not nailed down and shop till you drop. I go to France, Belgium, Berlin, London…I’m not quite sure where this winter’s trip will be, but it always refreshes my eye. One year we were in Spain, being driven my Penelope Cruz’s bodyguard, and it was Sunday and everything was closed. We were told that there some towns just over the border in France where shops would be open, so we drove the two hours and ended up coming back with lamps sticking out of car windows, the works… you just have to think fast and be ready whenever you find that great find.
Can you talk about some of the new things you’ll be carrying with this great new space?
Estate jewelry is one thing I am exploring – I’ve always loved it. As I began buying, I started being more inquisitive and asking more questions. Jewelry’s a little trickier, because it’s a lot more money to invest in. So, I only buy what I would wear, in case I’m stuck with something. I also make sure the goods are there, I don’t sell costume jewelry or anything mass-produced, only fine jewelry. I try to sell things that are different and have a story. It’s a microcosm in each piece, especially if it was custom–designed. A narrative has to be there – because that’s what makes me play with it, in the tableaux also, in everything – that’s what attracts me to it. I’m just not attracted to anything that is easy to come by for anybody.
The garden in the back of the new space is also allowing me to branch into garden statuary and contemporary outdoor sculpture and play with scale. We got these turquoise custom tents built to go out there – it makes this magic space, with the little white lights and turquoise top. We’ve had a few events out there.
And what’s the best thing about being an “artist turned businesswoman,” as you say? Where has the turn to design taken you?
I’m a very happy girl, after twenty years of painting my brains out, this really satisfies me in a way that that didn’t. I really bought into his macho stigma that you have to be there for the work – you have to be there eight hours a day, but its not true. When I go into the studio now, I can do in an hour and a half what used to take a day. I’m ready to roar, I don’t have to flop around waiting to get my energy to that place.
Great interview! I've been hearing about Buck and will definitely check it out! Congratulations on your transition, hope Deborah's new world is filled with great inspiration and success!
Posted by: the paris apartment | 2010.01.18 at 01:51 PM