9 Questions with Rise Art curator Edward Cutler

A commited art lover with a severe case of wanderlust, Rise Art curator Edward Cutler found some time to tell us about his favourite Rise Art artists, how he discovered art and what works he can't live without.

Could you tell me briefly about your professional experience as a curator/gallerist?

After graduating, I worked in Venice for a year at the Guggenheim, and then at the Venice Biennale. I was then lucky to work for my brother, John Martin, who has a gallery in London where I ran his second space for a year or so before parting ways. I then ran Maddox Arts Gallery in Mayfair before moving to Italy where I worked for Federica Schiavo in Rome. Most recently, I have opened my own gallery (link) in Milan.

Tell me one Rise Artist that interested you particularly and why.

Avigail Talmor. I like her paintings for their simplicity and technique. They remind me of Ed Ruscha's work, which I have always admired, for their ability to conjure up so many thoughts and implications from the isolation of a single architectural element.

'Check Point 04' by Avigail Talmor

How did you first get involved in art?

Because of my mother... and then painting lessons at school.

What would be your tip for someone who wants to start a collection?

Start small and see lots!

What's your favorite place to see art?

The Frick Collection, in New York.

Do you collect art? If so, which one was your first piece?

I do. My first piece was a small gouache by John Tunnard, whose work I had just been guarding in the Peggy Guggenheim collection the year previously. I bought it out of a mixture of nostalgia and simple pleasure, and because I could just about afford it. I still love it for all those things.

Whats the last piece you purchased or you would love to have?

The last piece I purchased was a small oil painting called 'Memory from my childhood' by a young Romanian artist called Cantemir Hausi. I brought it back in my luggage after visiting him in Cluj and it was the only thing hanging in our apartment in Milan for ages. It depicts a Borzoi, the great Russian hunting dog favoured by the aristocracy and subsequently slaughtered in large numbers by the communists.

'Memory from my childhood' by Cantemir Hausi

What's the last great book you read?

'Baudolino' by Umberto Eco and the 'Sword of Honour' trilogy by Evelyn Waugh.

How do you find ideas and inspiration these days?

In my 14-month-old son Franco. He's walking now, and trying desperately to talk. Just seeing his development is inspiring.

Edward Cutler's new gallery has just opened in Milan.

www.edwardcutler.com