For collectors and enthusiasts, art imbues an otherwise matter-of-fact world with purpose and meaning. Collector Bob Clark’s interest in art grew organically out of an interest in architecture and design, and naturally found its way into Clayco, the design and construction company he founded in 1984, whose motto is still “The Art and Science of Building.” Today, the company displays works from his collection in its offices across the country.
“Over time, we’ve been able to work with many of the top architects globally, like Jeanne Gang and Bjarke Ingels, and a lot of really top-notch architects and designers. That naturally led to the arts,” he told Observer during Aspen Art Week. He was quick to admit that he didn’t get serious about collecting art until around 2010, when he began spending more time away from the business and met his second wife, Jane, with whom he has shared his collecting journey.
Jane had herself been interested in art, but had had little time to pursue it while working full-time as a dentist. “Since we’ve been married, I’ve been able to experience this whole new activity that I always wanted to pursue, in terms of going to art fairs and meeting artists,” she told Observer. “It’s fortunate that I was able to find a partner who also had an interest and a passion for pursuing the arts in this way.”
Early on, the couple met Theaster Gates, at a moment well before his career reached its current prominence. At the time, work by Black artists was only beginning to receive broader attention from collectors, but it quickly became one of their first areas of focus. “There were a few amazing artists who were doing well, but not like you see today,” Bob recalled. Among their first acquisitions were works by Derrick Adams, Rashid Johnson, Vaughn Spann and Ebony G. Patterson, when their markets and reputations were still developing. “We loved their work. We were really taken by it. It was work that we wanted to be around.”
From the beginning, the Clarks wanted to work with emerging artists. “Helping artists created enthusiasm in us—being with them on the journey, seeing them grow as artists and become well known in the art community,” Jane explained. Another foundational principle of their collecting journey was visibility. They didn’t want to keep works in storage; everything should be somewhere it could be seen, whether in their own spaces or on loan to galleries and museums.
They point to Kansas City collectors Sharon and John Hoffman as mentors. “Sometimes I call the collection the Hoffman Expansion Collection because they really did give us great mentorship,” Bob said, adding that the Hoffmans encouraged the couple to buy work they genuinely liked and wanted to live with rather than treating art primarily as an investment.
The Clarks have always placed great importance on the human relationships surrounding each acquisition. Their collection, they emphasized, has been shaped not only by relationships with artists but also by long-term relationships with gallerists, who have helped introduce them to artists aligned with their interests and collecting mission.
In addition to collecting work by Black artists, the couple has focused on acquiring pieces by Asian artists and, more recently, Indigenous and Native American artists. Jane’s Filipino background, according to Bob, influenced them to broaden their focus, as did a collector friend with a strong Indigenous and Native American collection who has helped guide them. And while the Clark collection initially concentrated significantly on portraiture, their recent acquisitions have broadened materially to include textile-based works, such as those of Jeffrey Gibson.
The Clayco offices offer a unique opportunity to showcase works in specific contexts. “I have offices in the Southwest, in Phoenix and Southern California, and the art in those offices tends to be very different from the works in Chicago,” he explained. There, the couple has focused on showcasing local artists, and that is where much of their collection of work by Black artists is installed. “The city has quite a scene of great up-and-coming, and now completely successful, Black artists,” Bob added, crediting galleries like Mariane Ibrahim with playing an important part in bringing greater recognition to these artists.
What’s important for the Clarks is that the collection can also reflect the company’s emphasis on diversity. Clayco has roughly 5,000 employees, with 46 languages represented across its workforce. “Some of our team members say that our art collection actually makes them feel seen for the first time in their business careers,” Bob shared. Some works are political or socially charged, he added, pointing to a Nick Cave Soundsuit. “There’s the whole story behind those, and the fact that Nick grew up in Missouri, probably about 50 miles from our St. Louis office, a lot of our employees who came from those same backgrounds find it highly impactful on their own lives. That’s been a great part of what we’ve been trying to accomplish.”
“It’s wonderful to see people who normally wouldn’t be exposed to art, people who didn’t have time to go to a museum or weren’t aware of what they could learn, actually see it in the place where they work,” Jane continued, explaining how the company supports this through educational programming, clearer labeling and office tours. Employees working near specific pieces are also encouraged to learn about them so they can explain their work to colleagues and visitors, reinforcing the company’s “art and science” culture.
The decision to hire a curator to oversee the collection’s management, promotion and related programming grew out of this ambition. They ultimately selected young Greek-American curator Stavroula Coulianidis, whose eye, passion and empathetic approach have, according to the couple, made the collection more accessible to employees and wider audiences. “She has done a great job of getting the work identified better and more clearly, and of having tours in the office,” Bob said. “The architects and graphic designers experience a different sensation than being in a typical corporate building. We’re really living our mantra of the art and science of building.”
The Clarks generally acquire works jointly and estimate that more than 90 percent of the collection reflects decisions they made together, although each occasionally chooses pieces that appeal more strongly to their own tastes. “What we’ve tried to do is find work that appeals to both of us. We obviously have some exceptions,” Bob said, joking that Jane tends to like work that is a little more “macabre.”
Since joining the collection, Stavroula has become increasingly involved in identifying artists and galleries and presenting potential acquisitions within the context of the collection’s existing vocabulary and mission. The Clarks look to fairs as important points of exposure, regularly attending Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Basel Hong Kong, The Armory Show and Frieze Los Angeles. Most decisions emerge out of what they see, the conversations they have and what draws them instinctively. “We travel all the time,” Jane said, anticipating with excitement their upcoming trip to South Korea for Frieze Seoul, which was organized by the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, where she serves on the board. “We’ll be exposed to another culture and maybe another genre of art that we’ve never experienced before. That will be exciting for us, and hopefully we can add to our collection.”
This year, they attended the opening of the Venice Biennale, where they spent time with artists whose work is already in the collection and met new ones. “Nine of our artists were represented this year in the Biennale, which was really terrific,” Bob said.
Over time, the couple’s engagement with art has extended beyond acquisition. The Clarks and Clayco support programs at institutions including the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the newly opened Obama Presidential Center. Moving forward, they want to expand this support for institutions, in parallel with increasing the visibility and accessibility of their collection. “We never sell work, so we don’t look at art as an investment. The investment is in the artist and in the community,” Bob emphasized. “The real mission now is to help expand the visibility of the collection and give more people access to it.”
The collection has now outgrown his available office space—”the art collection is growing faster than our company,” he quipped, to encompass 300 works by artists across geographies. Asked about their biggest regret, both said they wish they had started earlier. (“We’ve done a good job catching up,” Bob said, sharing that they were recently able to acquire works by Henry Taylor, an artist who had long been on his aspiration list.) They envision a next phase for the collection that involves finding one or two locations capable of hosting permanent exhibitions, ideally within the next five years. At the same time, they are interested in pursuing this in partnership with other institutions and collectors who share a similar mission.
