Private 'Shagadelic' Scottsdale Art Collection Goes Public

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) November 27, 2007 -- A hodgepodge of baubles, hand carved boxes, beaded curtains worthy of Austin Powers' "shagadelic" bachelor pad share space with priceless paintings and rare objets d'art in Dick Seeger's fancifully hip and eclectic private art collection. The 78-year former professional photographer and art gallery owner is opening his collection to the public in hopes of sparking interest and a potential sale.

The 78-year-old Seeger is eager to see his collection appreciated by younger generations of collectors now. He has hosted numerous tours in his home for local art groups, and says he is ready to part with his art if the right buyer comes along. "More important to me than anything else right now is my continued writing," says Seeger. "Forty years to date I've written a 1,000 pages of my thoughts and graphically represented them on my property."

And what a property it is. The eye doesn't know where to rest as foyer walls encrusted with costume jewelry and windows dressed in ethnic weavings compete with pithy quotes cleverly captured on etched mirror tiles by their creator, Seeger. In the living room, a gang of Pygmy-like primitive tribal figures carved in wood stand sentry on the fireplace hearth below a 1947 oil painting by the late American master, Phillip Curtis. The painting carries a conservative estimated value of $100,000.

To get to this treasure, you have to confront a cluster 10 towering Colonial African figures. Although each one is as thin as a sapling, these wood-carved gentlemen in their dapper painted on suits and hats hover at a commanding six-foot-plus height. Their appraised value? $25,000.

The dining room via its wraparound beaded curtain offers a feast for the eyes as hundreds of different faces of sun art beam at you from the walls. Venture into the bedrooms and bathrooms and stand in awe of every space meticulously filled with one-of-a-kind clay figures, priceless antique toys and rare gadgetry from Swiss clocks, typewriters and cameras.

It represents a lifetime of finding beauty in the most unexpected and sometimes absurd places. Dick Seeger, who made his fortune creating the three-dimensional photo art known as SeegerPeople, went on to own a gallery in Scottsdale's world renowned arts district. He was a fixture on the art scene for decades before closing his doors to the public in 1995 and retiring to a quiet life surrounded by his growing collection of art finds. "After years of acquiring objects and art I finally realized I was building a museum I call the Magical Mystical Spiritual Experience, and I designed a complex of pyramids to house the collection," says Seeger.

For more information about the Seeger collection or to view specific works, contact Dick Seeger at rseeger3 @ cox.net.

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