PETER BRANT

Flush with cash, Mr. Brant began collecting art in earnest, eventually buying so many Warhols that the artist asked to meet him. The two would have a somewhat complicated relationship. Mr. Brant was awed by Mr. Warhol and says he felt an instinctive urge to protect him. Mr. Warhol was impressed with Mr. Brant’s business acumen — he was the rare corporate success story in Mr. Warhol’s circle — but found him a little overzealous.“It got to the point where Andy was a little worried that Peter owned too much of his work,” says Bob Colacello, a former editor of Interview. “He would say, ‘Peter wants everything.’ Andy was a control freak, and Peter can be quite controlling, too.” Mr Brant stuck with Mr. Warhol, collecting his work through the ’70s and ’80s, when the artist was unfashionable and best known for commissioned portraits of well-heeled patrons and a cameo on “The Love Boat.”Mr. Brant’s dedication paid off. Prices for Mr. Warhol’s work have soared since his death in 1987. Mr. Brant says that over the last year, his art collection has been more lucrative than his newsprint business.

New York Times
jan 23 2009