by Roy Bernardi and Jennifer Leskiw
When you enter the home of Flavio Belli, you are instantly surrounded by his lifetime collection of art. Everywhere you look there are paintings, textiles, drawings, prints, collages, works on paper and photography. Ceramics, sculptures and tiles adorn table tops and shelves. It is an unexpected surprise to see such a vast and varied collection, truly a lifelong passion of collecting.
Flavio Belli is a multi-faceted individual. He is an artist, curator, art consultant, and a partner in a new gallery called Tarantino Belli, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
There is so much to see and process we wonder where to begin our conversation. We are impacted by the dizzying array of portraits on the wall directly behind the sofa in the living room. Numerous eyes gaze upon you reminiscent of old stories and recollections of allegories of each procurement, the arrangement constantly changing to Flavio’s inclination.
So, when and how did this passion for collecting art begin?
Flavio’s grandparents owned Angelo’s Restaurant in downtown Toronto from 1920 to 1958. The restaurant was frequented by many artists from Frederick Varley who was a member of the Group of Seven to the likes of Harold Town and celebrities like Boris Karloff, Lucille Ball, Edward G. Robinson and even Ernest Hemingway. Beginning in 1960, Flavio’s father opened Old Angelo’s on Elm Street. Mr. Belli senior was a lover of art and became an avid collector of art books. From time to time, Mr. Belli held art exhibitions in the restaurant consisting of paintings hung on the walls. It was in the collection of his father’s art books that Flavio became acquainted with a book on the work of Chaim Soutine and fell in love with the work and art. Such was the environment in which Flavio grew up.
In 1960, Rick McCarthy was a student at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. One of his first exhibitions consisted of six landscape paintings, rich with impasto and bold brush strokes and was held at Angelo’s restaurant. It is here that Flavio became acquainted with the artist. Flavio started to compare the work of Soutine to the work of McCarthy. Flavio was ten years old at the time and was enamoured by the thickness and paint application on the surface of each work. An illustration within a book could not do justice to such a technique.
As it turns out, Flavio’s first piece of art was a Rick McCarthy landscape painting from that grouping held at his father’s restaurant many years before. With all of these influences around him, and the acquisition of a McCarthy painting, Flavio decided he wanted to be an artist. And so the journey began.
What is your favourite art work in your collection?
It’s like eating candy… and asking which one you like best? A Greek tile purchased in 1972 is one of Flavio’s favourite pieces. The work of Brian Kipping is another favourite of Flavio’s collection. He knew Kipping and exhibited his work and subsequently purchased four from the artist. Today he owns 10 paintings by Kipping, who passed away in 2007.
What is the highlight for you when collecting? Is it the search or the acquisition?
I would say neither. The highlight of collecting art is for the love of art, the integrity in a work, the way it’s handled, the story behind it and the artist’s focus.
There’s always a story behind a work of art. How it was acquired? How was the work created or what were the circumstances around it? What history lies behind the work? Were there encounters with the artist’s and in part, the artist’s story of his or her life. The struggles, and triumphs?
Flavio has been collecting for many decades but there is one story that is his favourite. It begins on a day when he was walking along Queen Street West taking in the many galleries on his walk. Flavio loves to look at art and also the prices of art. He remembers walking into Propeller Gallery and having a look around. On his way out, the woman at the desk told him there was a student show at the back of the gallery and that he should check it out. It was a third year OCAD illustration show. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a work by a young artist by the name of Kieran Brent. It had such a physical effect on him that he knew he had to have the piece. When asked the price, he was told it was $400 but, the work couldn’t be purchased as the piece was going to be exhibited at an OCAD exhibition. Nothing was for sale. However, the artist was going to be at the gallery the next day. Flavio told the woman to tell Kieran that he was purchasing the piece and was going to leave a deposit of $200.
Flavio went back the next day to meet Kieran and pay for the remainder of the sale. As it turns out Kieran’s self-portrait won first prize at the OCAD exhibition and the image was used on a poster promoting the show. Since that time, Flavio and Kieran have become good friends, and Flavio now owns seven self-portraits and a major still-life painting by the artist.
Flavio has made many good friends with artists that he has in his collection. As a true collector, Flavio likes to support artists. If there’s talent, he tries to help promote them. He doesn’t believe in buying out of pity or charity but, if an artist is struggling and the work has integrity, he’ll purchase several works.
If you had unlimited funds which artist or artists would you like to own?
Well if I had unlimited funds to buy any art work I wanted, I would purchase Jack Chambers “Sunday Morning #2”. Chambers has the ability to represent reality as accurately and authentically as possible. I’m a huge fan of Chambers, as well as Graham Coughtry. I can really relate to Coughtry’s semi abstraction works of bodies floating on the canvas and of course Andy Warhol whom I can empathize with.
A short video of Flavio Belli speaking about artist Zac Atticus works in his collection may eventually be accessed here.
