The Luczo family’s collection of Aboriginal art began with the purchase of a Betsy Lewis Napangardi canvas in 2006 (lot 89). This first acquisition, and the many that have followed, were made in profound appreciation of the over 50,000 years of art-making by Indigenous Australian peoples.That this continuity with the ancestral past is manifested in art that is alive, full of energy and absolutely contemporary, remains for Stephen and Agatha Luczo nothing short of breathtaking. With great care they have assembled a collection of nearly 200 paintings and sculptures, including seminal works from the twentieth century by Rover Thomas, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, and Enraeld Djulabinyanna, as well as major canvases of the twenty-first by Naata Nungurrayi, Makinti Napanangka, and George Tjungurrayi.
Art, history, science, music, and dance are earnest passions for Steve, CEO of Seagate Technology, and Agatha, a model and author. In raising their four children – Rosalia, George Thomas, Cosimo, and Anica – they are teaching the next generation that the preservation of culture and nature are complementary and indivisible efforts. The family’s Aboriginal collection embodies their interest in the interconnectedness of the land and those who inhabit it. As a member of the Board of Directors of the World Wildlife Fund, Steve is committed to matters of conservation and sustainability.
In building their collection, the Luczo family has been guided by intuition and scholarship in equal measure. The discerning eye and curatorial judgment of Aboriginal art specialist Julie Harvey has been essential to developing a meaningful collection of work from communities throughout Australia. Steve and Agatha have endeavoured to reflect in the collection the diversity of Indigenous Australian cultures, and the extraordinary work done by both men and women, from senior law figures to the emerging generation of artists. They have been captivated in turn by the expressive colors of Jan Billycan and Daniel Walbidi, and the delicate patterning of Yukultji Napangati and Dorothy Robinson Napangardi.
The family extends their deep gratitude to the artists for sharing their inspiration and innovation with the world. The Luczos’ primary source for artwork has always been wholly Indigenous-owned art centres and their exclusive representatives; these purchases are supplemented from time to time with significant acquisitions at auction, when works of historic import and remarkable provenance come to their attention. They offer warm thanks to the field workers and staff of the art centres who have shared their time and insight over the years, especially to Paul Sweeney at Papunya Tula Artists for helping to build a core part of the collection.
The works in this collection have been lived with and loved. From the spirited color harmonies of a Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri canvas over Cosimo’s crib, to the shimmering sand hills of Lily Kelly Napangardi that greeted staff and visitors to Seagate’s US corporate headquarters in California, the family has aimed to keep the majority of the collection on display. They admire the way in which the great canvases of the Western Desert pulse and move when given the space, the way they can energize or soothe. At home, Steve and Agatha have been touched to discover how deeply Aboriginal painting has enriched the kids’ concepts of representation: their classmates might draw the sun as a big yellow circle and a house as a square with a triangle on top, but the Luczo children are more likely to create their world in vibrant dots and lines.
In addition to their devoted engagement with the Indigenous art and culture of Australia over the last decade, the family continues to collect in ways no less deep for its eclecticism: European modernism, Contemporary American art, Ancient Roman coins, African sculpture, first editions of literature and science, and remarkable geological specimens are acquired with the same level of care and joy. Such enthusiastic collectors reach the inevitable point of needing to prune, as the Luczo family is now through a series of gifts and sales. Like all great collectors they know they are but custodians, helping to honor and preserve.
BLAIR HARTZELL
CURATOR, THE LUCZO FAMILY COLLECTION
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THE LUCZO FAMILY, NOVEMBER 2015