By Julia Szabo
Throughout history, extraordinary women art collectors—from Peggy Guggenheim to Peggy Cooper Cafritz—have raised cultural standards through visionary patronage. Today, contemporary creatives have a real-life art guardian angel: philanthropist Christine Mack of the Mack Art Foundation, whose keen collector’s eye never stops looking, drawn, she says, to the imaginative “fusion of figuration and abstraction.”
Get her on the subject of female artists portraying the female body, and Mack positively lights up: “This is such a huge step: It’s not the male gaze, it’s women showing how they want to be seen. Camilla Engström does beautiful work, painting herself as a goddess. Like her, Danielle Orchard, Ana Benaroya, Laura Berger and Megan Gabrielle Harris paint the women the way they want to be seen. Adèle Aproh also appears in her own work all the time.”
Mack’s love of art and artists is next-level. Not only has she built an important, dynamic collection by actively seeking out emerging talent, she also established the Mack Art Foundation at Greenpoint Art Studio, a residency program supporting emerging artists from outside New York City.
“Each artist gets a Brooklyn apartment and a huge art studio,” she says. “It’s a quiet work space away from the hustle and bustle, where everything is taken care of”—including art supplies. Recognizing that not all artists are skilled at self-promotion and archiving, “We also coordinate photo shoots with the artists, plus we do lots of film on them.”
Unlike many “invitation only” organizations, this one is refreshingly open to collaboration, and its founder goes to the mat for all her artists. “I’m very hands-on,” says Mack, who selected Greenpoint because of its energetic construction activity, a trend that leads to higher rents. “We’re trying to make sure art and culture can stay in Greenpoint by bringing more artists back into the area,” she adds. “My goal is for these artists to leave a footprint in New York.”
While in residence, artists feel looked-after as part of Mack’s extended family. “One artist calls me Fairy Godmother, another calls me Mother Hen,” she says with pride. “I’ve even had artists call me Tiger Mom! I wanted to create a nurturing environment where all artists—especially young women—can feel safe. And as I’ve noticed raising three boys, young men need that, too. Nothing makes me happier than caring for artists. They have a calling to create, and it’s so important to support them.”
Her generosity doesn’t end there: After they leave the residency, Mack continues to “follow artists through their careers. I come from Sweden, where I grew up seeing art at the Moderna Museet. Now I’m on their board, handling American acquisitions.” She also serves as a board/committee member at the Guggenheim, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, as well as the Child Mind Institute, whose walls display another Mack cultural project: glorious murals by such artists as Kenny Scharf. Next month, the Southampton Arts Center will honor Mack with its Champion of the Arts Award at the SummerFest Gala on Saturday, August 23.
“It has been such a privilege to be part of artists’ lives,” says Mack. “It’s a lot of work, and it’s also the most fun thing I’ve ever done.” southamptonartscenter.org/summerfest