12 THE ART OBSERVER August 2009 By Jonathan Drage Gina Luxemburg says that she started col- lecting art later in life than she would have liked. In her youth she bought prints by Terence Cuneo because she worked for a company that printed them. She was brought up in Southern Ireland, in a place called Bray, outside Dublin but came to England many years ago and has spent most of her working life in the watch and jewellery business. Her interest in collecting paintings grew into a passion that she still feeds when funds permit. She kindly agreed to answer some questions about how, why and what she has collected. When did you start collecting original paintings? About 29 years ago. What was the first piece you bought? It was a painting by Lawrence Isherwood of a clown. I bought it from a junk shop at the Albert Dock in Liverpool and I paid £65 for it. What kind of work do you collect? I have a very eclectic taste in art and collect all kinds of work, but the most important thing is that I like it and want to live with it. What is it that attracts you to a painting? I like colour and reflections. A painting has to have a quality that jumps out at me. Which artists do you collect? I don’t collect specific artists although I do have more than one painting by some artists such as John Hamilton, Liam Spencer, Richard Clare, Alan Joyce, David Evans and Albert Wainwright. I also have work by Stacey Manton, Geoffrey Key, Rob Hefferan, Alice Maher, Geoffrey Bennett, Lawrence Isherwood, Margarita Medina, Terry McGlynn, Lisa De Prudhoe, Patricia Niemira, Bernard McDonald, Ruth Gilbert, and Els Maulders.   Do you visit many art galleries? I visit a few galleries such as The Lowry in Salford and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. I especially like to go to the Tate in Liverpool and the Wendy Levy Gallery in Didsbury. Those are my two favourites. I have found that my taste has developed through frequent visits over the years and I can now appreciate more modern pieces. I used to love the work of Canaletto and Turner when I was in my teens, but now I also love the work of Alice Maher and Lisa De Prudhoe. Alas, I don’t have a Canaletto or a Turner but I do have an incredible piece by Alice Maher and a small painting by Lisa De Prudhoe! If you could have any painting in the world, what would it be? I am enthralled by Leonardo’s ‘The Last Supper’, but I would actually prefer to own a painting by Rothko or a very large painting by Lisa De Prudhoe. If you could only keep one of your paintings, which would it be? That’s a difficult one to answer but I think it would have to be the John Hamilton painting of the yellow armchair. When I’ve had one of those days and I get home and look at that painting and I see the little characters he has painted playing around the armchair I forget all about the stress of the day and I feel myself starting to smile. John’s paintings are very special, his people rarely have eyes and no real facial expressions, but he manages to capture an extraordinary body language - his paintings are so clever and I just love them! Profile of an Art Collector ‘The Empty Tomb’ measures eight by four feet, is set in    an impressive steel reliquary designed and constructed by sculptor Brian Fell John Hamilton, The Yellow Armchair Lisa De Prudhoe, Indefinites Disclosed XI THERE IS TO BE  a special four-day event featuring a small exhibition of paintings by the celebrated artist Winifred Nicholson.  Christopher Andreae, author of the book ‘Winifred Nicholson’, will give an interesting and informative talk on the evenings of Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th October.  The exhibition will run until Saturday 31st October at the Wendy Levy Gallery in Didsbury.  Tickets are available for the evenings of 28th and 29th.  Both evenings will commence at 7pm and finish around 9pm. Ticket price £6 to include cheese and wine. Places will be limited, so please apply early to avoid disappointment. For more information or to apply for tickets please contact Wendy Levy as follows: Venue and Contact Details:   Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art Ltd, 17 Warburton Street, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6WA. Tel: 0161 446 4880   Email: wendy@wendyjlevy-art.com Entrance to the exhibition only is free. Gallery opening times Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. Talk on Winifred Nicholson with cheese & wine is admission by ticket @£6 per head. EXCLUSIVE:  Winifred Nicholson Event