by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Preston Haskell was about halfway done guiding a preview tour of his collection of post-war abstract art when he spotted a notable painting obscured by bubble wrap. Brushing aside the museum help, the chair of one of the region’s leading design/build firms tore open the wrap. He smiled like a child opening a Christmas present.
For 30 years Haskell has carefully assembled a 300-piece collection that now stands as tribute to his love for the “mystery of abstract art.” Works from the collection adorn every office in his Riverside headquarters and have been on display in his house and downtown’s performing arts center. Now the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art has assembled about 60 of his most noteworthy pieces into a single exhibit opening Friday. Haskell can’t wait to share his collection with Jacksonville.
In the office, the art is intended to inspire. “It sends the message: We value creativity,” he said. At JMOMA, Haskell hopes his collection will also educate.
“There’s never been so much of the collection together in one place,” he said. “By bringing it to the community, it will reach more people than would ever be the case otherwise. With the scholarship on these works we’ve been able to include, it should be a very valuable experience. It should produce greater knowledge and awareness of these works.”
Helping assemble the exhibit and the accompanying pages of scholarly notes has been an educational experience for Haskell as well. He learned more about his collection putting together the catalog than he uncovered in his own research, he said.
The collection has inspired some of The Haskell Company employees to learn more about abstract expressionism, the collection’s guiding influence. Although Haskell admits some, “barely know it’s on the wall.”
His firm favors clean, clear lines in its design, seemingly a contrast to the collision of colors and textures displayed on many of Haskell’s canvases. But, after thinking for a moment, he ticks of a list of similarities.
“Thematically, the styles are similar only in that they’re both contemporary, highly original and pleasing to the eye,” said Haskell. “They represent the cutting edge of the best thinking in terms of design.”