THE PRICE COLLECTION

It seems highly improbable that a modest engineer from Middle-of-Nowhere, Oklahoma could assemble a world renowned collection of Japanese art, but that's what happened and that's how Joe Price has spent the fifty years of his life. The Etsuko and Joe Price Collection is comprised of Japanese paintings from the Edo Period (1600-1868) and showcases artists that are now gaining international attention. The art in the collection is free from the overtones of religion, intellectual nuances, or overbearing stylistic conventions. The works are so coupled with the heart of nature that they can appeal to people from all walks of life – no scholarly explanations needed. Joe Price's mentor, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, introduced him to the Japanese art field and also taught him to revere nature. Joe has always applied this love of nature to collecting and understanding Japanese paintings. Joe never looked for seals or signatures, and he never purchased a painting based on popular opinion. He bought what he wanted and what he thought was beautiful. He never knew who painted the works he collected because he couldn't read the Japanese signatures and he couldn't understand the Japanese dealers. Despite a half century of traveling throughout Japan and gathering Japanese art, Joe still doesn't speak a word of Japanese, other than a handful of sushi terms. However, Joe remains very proud of the fact that he can smile very well in Japanese.

shinenkan.com

A MESSAGE FROM JOE PRICE

I assembled the collection simply by appreciating the visual appeal of the paintings. The quality of beauty and precision of line were dominant, consistent aspects of the art. I collected the art uninhibited by outside teachings, or in other words, I did not pay attention to what I was told I "should" be buying. Instead, I collected what I wanted. My inability to speak or read Japanese certainly turned out to be an advantage, for it forced me to select the screens and scrolls based on the artists' skills, not their seals or signatures. Even today, when I find a painting, I seldom ask who created it. When a work has great quality, a great artist produced it. Serious Edo artists received unparalleled and meticulous training, and with their skill, ability, and great pride in their accomplishments, their paintings should have some mark, some stroke beyond the capabilities of ordinary men. There is no need to look at a seal to know that a scroll was created by a master. What may have started out as an insignificant hobby has now turned into something much more meaningful to me. My collection gave my life a new purpose, for I wanted the public to experience for themselves the same immense joy that this art has brought to me. I hope people can see my collection as much more than an accumulation of scrolls and screens. It is like an album of images to be compared side by side to not just look at the different works, but to learn from them as well. I want everyone to examine the differences between the great masters, their gifted students, and those that, in the process of learning, attempted to copy their works. The Etsuko and Joe Price Collection is not intended to be seen as just a collection – it hopefully should be an experience.