Collector’s Eye: Cricket Taplin

Cricket Taplin has been a prominent figure in the Miami art world since she and her late husband Martin Taplin began collecting in the late 1980s. The Taplins and their close friend Martin Margulies owned the Margulies Taplin Gallery for nearly a decade. In 1997, after the gallery closed, Taplins purchased and began renovating the Sagamore Hotel in South Beach, Florida. The media called Sagamore an “art hotel” soon after it reopened in 2001, and it allowed Taplin to share his passion for collecting with the public. Stairs, corridors and public spaces, including the hotel’s marble-floored lobby, were lined with works selected by Taplin from his private collection.

The Taplins added a unique element when Art Basel came to Miami Beach. Every year, they famously held a brunch at the hotel during Art Week, a coveted invitation that helped bring emerging artists such as Jen Stark, Carlos Betancourt and Robert Chambers to the attention of the international art world. Olafur Eliasson, Roxy Paine, Will Ryman and Maria Martinez-Cañas are the artists in her collection, all of whom have either been on exhibitions in Sagamore or participated in the annual artist discussions and interviews hosted by Cricket. His art collection extends beyond the walls of Sagamore to the public. Cricket has earned board positions at the Bass Museum, Arts for Learning, Locust Projects and is an honorary member of the Museum of Contemporary Arts in North Miami.

Art Magazine: What was the first work you bought?

Cricket Taplin: James Valerio, Nature research (1988). As soon as I saw this painting, I felt like I could walk inside it. My intuition called me in. It was a spontaneous decision, and I accepted it. When it was installed in my home, I knew it was the right choice, and since then I have been collecting art in the same way.

What was your last purchase?

Thomas Esson, Talisman (bronze weight 1/6). My interest in spirituality immediately fell in love with this particular sculpture. A talisman is any object that has religious or magical powers and is intended to protect, heal, or harm the people for whom it was made. Talismans are often portable objects that are carried in many different ways, but they can also be permanently installed in architecture. I knew instinctively that this sculpture spoke to me and would be the perfect addition to my collection.

If your house were on fire, what work would you save?

After my family… one that I can take.

If money were not an obstacle, what would be your dream purchase?

I am happy to own any work by Isamu Noguch. I love the interaction of his sensuality and organic movement in his sculpture. It’s pretty erotic. I also like Alberto Giacometti’s human characters, because even though the characters look delicate and sometimes lack limbs, they remain strong. In addition, Ugo Rondinonen Sculpture of the Assumption series [2005-06], their playfulness and use of materials. I think they are fun.

What’s the most surprising place you’ve shown your work?

On the sand behind the Sagamore Hotel in Miami. In 2007, we invited Spencer Tunick to one of his well-known nude shots. She photographed 800 naked volunteers by the pool, on the beach, and on the hotel’s balconies. In 2008, Olaf Breuning created his own Sand sphinx, an abstract 150 ton sphinx sand sculpture lying down. We also introduced Will Ryman and him Rose on 65th Street installation in 2011.

Which artists, living or dead, would you invite to the dinner party of your dreams?

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Isaac Julien, Marcel Duchamp and Roy Lichtenstein.

If they all came to dinner, I think I could convince them to give me a discount [laughs]- Okay, not really. But exchanging ideas with these different artists, all of which are inherently different from the boundaries of art, would make for a very entertaining evening.

What is the best collection advice you have been given?

Buy what you love.

What have you missed the most during the lock?

Socializing with my friends and the freedom to go anywhere and do whatever I want.

Have you bought NFT?

No! Early days. I don’t know enough about them to make a decision.