Saturday@Phillips Presents: Tastemaker Nathanael Potter

23 February 2009

Saturday@Phillips Auction

Auction: Saturday, March 14, 2009 Noon
Phillips de Pury & Compnay
Howick Place London SW1P 1BB

Nathanael Potter

Nathanael Potter knows cool sneakers so well his leading trend agency, U-Dox Brand Development now handles online communication for super brand Adidas Originals. “Like many kids, I started with comics and football cards. Looking back, I was always excited to feed my collecting obsession and at one stage I even collected pieces of cars and BMX bikes. When I was in my teens, a friend at school whose father had been travelling in America gave me a pair of black Jordan 5s: I loved those sneakers in the way I love art now, and that was the beginning of an obsession that has seen me fill walls of my apartment with my collections.” Nathanael is also part of KRUNK , an international team dedicated to the promotion of Contemporary Urban Art through pop up art shows in unique settings using various media including film and original music to intensify the viewing experience; they most recently curated a solo show for artist Futura in Downtown LA. Being a collector himself, he owns an impressive collection of street art prints and originals, many purchased when “you could pick up a Banksy print for just £15.” So what happened to the teenage passion for sneakers? “Of course the sneaker collection continues to grow too – it’s big enough to have its own room now.”

Lot 102 SHIRO KURAMATA Umbrella stand
I like the way Kuramata plays with balance and perspective – and does it all with a sense of humour. His pieces are so collectable that it would be great to own one. Plus, I’d really enjoy seeing people puzzling over this in my hallway.

Lot 131 MASSIMO VITALI Marina di CarraraTorre Fiat #0151
Massimo Vitali’s bleached landscapes offer plenty of detail to get lost within, they are most often taken in sunny locations that make me want to shut down my apple Mac and dig out my passport.

Lot 133 THOMAS RUFF Sternenhimmel 16h 30m/ -50
Who doesn’t enjoy starring high into the sky on summer nights or when you find yourself on a beach at night during a holiday. If I had this in my apartment I could live that feeling over and over. This image was taken during a short break that Thomas Ruff took from his emotionless portraits prior to creating the graphic series of newspaper images.

Lot 163 OMEGA Flightmaster Automatic winding timepiece with stainless steel case
and signed stainless steel band
I have been planning to add the Flightmaster to my watch collection for a while. This was the last watch that Omega made for pilots and was even worn by Soviet cosmonauts. It’s a large chronograph with bright hands, a look that has once again become fashionable in watch design.

Lot 170 Lot 170 HERAKUT You Sure?
So many urban artists have jumped on the political message bandwagon with graffiti that it looked in danger of destroying itself with a massive boom, and then a bust. Artists such as Herakut have impressed and inspired me by incorporating fine art techniques and studies with urban art style. It’s shown that graffiti has grown up and forged a place for itself in more conservative markets. These two are a great duo, the girl’s spiteful expression coupled with the vulnerable look of her headgear creates an unforgettable image.

Lot 182 BANKSY Soup Can
The soup can is an instantly recognizable emblem of modern art. What I like about this piece is that your mind tells you to expect the ‘Campbells’ logo and the familiar Warhol jewel tones, but you’re actually confronted with a quintessentially British version – from one of our top supermarket’s own brand value ranges and in the slightly washed-out sunshine hues of a British kitchen. Banksy installed the original version of this in the MOMA for three days before anyone noticed, but I think his famous humour really adds to the image and his version seems much more familiar and homely to me.

Lot 253 CHRISTO Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida
There’s something quiet ironic about framing and hanging a small print of one Christo and Jean Claude’s larger than life pieces.

Lot 389 ANDY WARHOL Andy Warhol’s Index
The best thing about artist’s books is that you get several works in one. This one was published in 1967 and its got an assortment of things that are whimsically Warhol, including a pop-up airplane, photos of Chelsea Girls and a flexi-disc by Lou Reed. It shows that art doesn’t just belong on the wall, and it’s a really coherent collection of bits and pieces that sum up the way art was moving at the time.

Lot 392 OS GÊMEOS Two works: Untitled (Head Box)
If only I had the room to hang these heads I am confident they would bring me endless hours of enjoyment. Big, bright and friendly, what a welcome it would make if I could hang these in my hall way, although I’m sure it might scare some off.