Collecting For The Future

Gil Rose and Stan Russell have curated a dynamic mix of artwork that will have an enduring legacy.

- John O' Hern

Gil Rose and Stan Russell have made their Palm Springs, California, home into a Zen-like gallery space with all the comforts of a home. They redesigned their 1948-built home to accommodate art both spatially and physically and to create the feeling of having been curated. They collect sculpture, video art, glass, ceramics and two-dimensional work including photography.

The couple, who are celebrating 15 years together, began with mostly decorative art, but when they remodeled and expanded their home in 2007 they began buying more fine art. Gil, who majored in art history in college, recalls the first piece he bought—a work by Graciela Rodo Boulanger that he saw in a Chicago gallery in 1976. He had to borrow money back then to cover the $400 cost, and he values the piece in their collection as the beginning of his passionate pursuit of art.

Although they love living with their art and getting to know the artists, Gil notes, “Legacy is important to both of us.” They have planned for the future of the collection of which they consider themselves temporary caretakers. Some pieces are already promised gifts to the Palm Springs Art Museum. Others will go to their grandchildren and yet others will be donated to local charities through their trust.