Art collecting in Los Angeles used to be a different beast. Before the mega-galleries and the massive fair tents in Santa Monica, there was a specific, electric energy in the 1970s and 80s driven by a few people who just got it. Barry Lowen was one of those people. He wasn't just a TV executive at ABC with a good eye; he was the guy who essentially taught a generation how to see. When we talk about how Barry Lowen mentor young collectors changed the trajectory of the West Coast art scene, we’re talking about a blueprint for passion over prestige.
Lowen passed away in 1985 at only 50 years old, but the ripple effect of his influence is still felt at MOCA and in the private hallways of Hollywood's biggest players. He didn't just buy art. He lived it, and he made sure the people around him—especially the younger, hungry crowd—didn't make the mistake of buying for the wrong reasons.
The Lowen Method: Intuition Over Hype
Barry Lowen had this reputation for being "aggressive and attentive." That sounds like a contradiction, but in the art world, it’s the gold standard. He would hunt for new work with a level of intensity that intimidated people, yet he was famously generous with his knowledge. Honestly, he was the "older brother" figure to guys like Scott Spiegel, who later became a powerhouse collector in his own right.
Spiegel once noted that Lowen shaped his entire vision. The lesson? Trust your gut when you’re standing in front of something new and weird.
Barry didn't wait for the critics to tell him a piece was important. He was buying Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, and David Salle when most of the establishment was still scratching their heads. For the young collectors he mentored, this was a radical departure from the traditional "buy what is safe" advice. He taught them that validation from the public usually comes years after the art has already made its mark. If you're waiting for everyone else to agree it's good, you've already missed the boat.
A Focus on the "New"
Lowen’s collection was a roadmap of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. He moved through movements like a heat-seeking missile:
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- Minimalism: He grabbed works by Dan Flavin and Agnes Martin before they were household names in art history.
- Neo-Expressionism: He leaned into the raw, messy energy of the early 80s.
- Post-Modernism: He understood the shift toward conceptual and photographic works.
He didn't just collect objects; he collected the moment. This is what he drilled into his mentees. You don't buy a painting to match a sofa. You buy it because it challenges the way you think about the world right now.
Why the Mentor-Protege Dynamic Changed Everything
L.A. in the early 80s was trying to find its soul. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) was just becoming a reality. Lowen was a founder, but his real work happened in the living rooms and galleries of Venice and West Hollywood.
He helped form the Entertainment Alliance unit of the Modern and Contemporary Council at LACMA. This wasn't just a social club. It was a training ground. He brought together young Hollywood executives and showed them that their "new money" could actually build a lasting cultural legacy.
Think about someone like Scott Spiegel. Because of Lowen’s mentorship, Spiegel eventually donated a massive Basquiat to MOCA. That doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens because someone like Barry Lowen shows you that being a collector is a responsibility to the artist and the public. He pushed these "younger" guys to be more than just consumers; he turned them into patrons.
The 67-Work Legacy at MOCA
If you walk into MOCA today, you’re seeing Barry's ghost. Upon his death, his bequest of 67 works became a cornerstone of the museum's permanent collection. We're talking about heavyweights: Cy Twombly, Frank Stella, and Ellsworth Kelly.
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But here is the thing people miss. The "Barry Lowen mentor young collectors" narrative isn't just about the art he gave away. It's about the standard he set. When MOCA was in its infancy, it needed a "collection of collections." It needed voices that weren't just echoes of New York. Barry provided that. He proved that Los Angeles had the intellectual and financial muscle to support the "art of our time" (as Rauschenberg put it) without asking for permission from the East Coast.
What You Can Learn From the Lowen Playbook
Maybe you aren't a TV executive in 1982, but the way Barry Lowen mentored young collectors offers some pretty solid advice for anyone trying to navigate the art world today. It’s kinda simple, but people still get it wrong.
1. Don't be afraid of the "New"
The most important work is often the most polarizing. If it makes you feel slightly uncomfortable, pay attention. Barry was "aggressive" because he knew that the window to buy truly transformative work is small.
2. Mentorship is a two-way street
Lowen didn't just lecture; he listened. He was part of a circle—including Douglas S. Cramer and Dan Melnick—where ideas were traded like currency. If you want to get good at collecting, find a "Barry." Find someone who has been in the trenches and isn't afraid to tell you when you're being boring.
3. Intentionality beats volume
Lowen didn't have thousands of pieces. He had dozens of great pieces. Each one served a purpose in telling the story of contemporary art. For a young collector, the goal shouldn't be to fill walls, but to find works that speak to each other.
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The Realistic Side of the Story
It’s easy to romanticize the 80s art scene, but it was also a "wild west." People like Lowen and Gagosian (who was just starting his rise in L.A. at the time) were operating in a market that was much more intimate—and much more volatile. Lowen’s mentorship was a survival guide for that volatility. He taught his peers how to spot the difference between a trend and a movement.
Honestly, the biggest misconception about him is that he was just a "rich guy with a hobby." He was a strategist. He understood that for L.A. to be taken seriously, its collectors had to be as rigorous as the artists.
Final Actionable Insights
If you’re looking to follow in the footsteps of the collectors Lowen influenced, start by looking at the gaps in current museum collections. What are people ignoring? What feels too "now" for the establishment to touch? That’s where the value is.
- Visit MOCA: Go look at the Barry Lowen Collection. See how the works by Cy Twombly or Elizabeth Murray feel compared to the newer acquisitions. Notice the consistency in quality.
- Build a Network: Don't collect in a vacuum. Join local museum support groups or artist-run spaces. The conversations you have there are more valuable than any price guide.
- Develop a Vision: Ask yourself what story your collection is trying to tell. Is it about a specific decade? A specific medium? Lowen's story was about the evolution of the image in the late 20th century. What’s yours?
Barry Lowen didn't just leave a museum a bunch of paintings. He left a blueprint for how to be a cultural citizen. He showed that one person, with enough intuition and a willingness to share it, can change the DNA of a whole city’s art scene. That's a legacy worth more than any Basquiat.