The Curious Collector – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Over the past year, Theriault’s President Stuart Holbrook traveled across America and Canada on a whirlwind lecture tour to over 60 doll clubs, both big and small. In this episode of The Curious Collector, he shares his experiences with many of the wonderful collectors he met, the funny stories behind many of these appearances and the positiveness of people with shared passions coming together as a community. It became a discovery not only of the collector's heart, but a story of America as well. With that, Stuart takes us from February all the way to December to relate all he learned in this time -  a journey that was meant to validate collectors - but ended up as much becoming a hopeful experience for him. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

In this episode, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook talks with Stephanie Blythe, who has been an integral part of the doll artist community for a generation. Her work, spanning over four decades, is testament to a time in which her experience offers us a glimpse into the early transformation of the doll being thought of as an art form. With this, she offers insight into an organization she holds dear, NIADA. Stephanie breaks down the past and the current mission of how NIADA preserves the legacy of artists before and encourages the artists of the future. Of course, no discussion of the growth of doll art in the latter 20th century is complete without a discussion of fitness guru and pop culture icon Richard Simmons. Stephanie shares her memories of the most public patron and muse to an entire generation of doll artists. 

You can see Stephanie's amazing work here and learn more about NIADA here.

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

Collecting is full of opportunities. Many of these opportunities arise as “pockets of moments” in which you can jump in on certain categories that were once hot but are suddenly not. These are the ebbs and flows that every market displays. And by learning to track these movements, collectors have chances to add exceptional examples before that category inevitably rises again. In this episode of The Curious Collector, Stuart Holbrook, President of Theriault’s, helps us understand the whys of market shifts and the ways to not only identify them, but to feel confident in engaging them at the right time. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

Everyone has a Covid story - at least one and probably many of them. In this new episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook shares his experiences at Theriault’s as to how the worldwide pandemic not only affected his own journey through managing an auction house, but how collectors adapted to these changes and were ultimately affected long term in the way they collect. He also talks about how the Covid period of 2020-2022 created one of the greatest surges in engagement ever seen in collectibles. It’s a fascinating introspective as society marks five years from when the world, and collecting, was forever altered. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

The Barry Art Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, founded by Carolyn and Richard Barry, serves as a beacon across the world in showcasing dolls in an extraordinary setting. That is, an art museum. Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook says this is a rare and unique opportunity for the narrative of dolls as an art form to be received by the general public. For too long dolls have been cast into the hinterlands of the art world. The Barry, driven by the vision of Carolyn Barry’s passion for the subject, brings legitimacy to the subject and validation to those who collect them. In this conversation with Dr. Sara Woodbury, Curator of Art at The Barry, she share this vision and her thoughts on dolls as an art form. She also talks with Stuart about the Barry Art Museum’s plans for expanding the doll gallery and further showcasing how this extraordinary collection intersects with its entire art collection. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

Every collector reaches a moment of inflection within their collecting life. Keep collecting? Stop Collecting? The goal, of course, is to never waver. The happy life of a collector is one that should be structured and built with the future in mind to last a lifetime. That is going all the way to the end with the petal to the metal and a joyful smile.  In this episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook talks about why collector’s stop collecting early, why they may sell their collections for varying reasons, and helps to shape an idea that a life’s passion like this should hopefully extend an entire lifetime. His belief, working with collectors over decades in homes across the world, is that we all hit moments which beg for guidance as to how to move to the next stage. With this episode, he hopes to give an understanding and insight into these crossings and how to best navigate them.

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

Collectors walk many paths in life. Some are single, some in partnerships, and, of course, many are married. In this episode Stuart Holbrook, President of Theriaults, takes us on a journey through stories and experiences gained through his years of working with couples who collect together (and often apart) and the unique conversations he has witnessed from both sides of the spectrum. It’s a sometimes funny but poignant look at his over three decades with Theriault’s from which he offers a bit of advice for both people in any relationship that involves a collector.  

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

For over 25 years, Bill Greening’s unique designs and fashions brought Barbie into the new millennium. From Play to Collector lines, his passionate work helped shape the world’s most famous doll for new generations. Known by every Barbie collector, not just because of his designs, but also his passion as a collector himself, he has embraced every facet of the Barbie world and been supportive of collectors around the world as well as at shows and conventions. In Part Two of this conversation with Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook, Greening takes us further on his journey with Barbie and Mattel as he rose to become Principal Designer, how he balanced his career while also being a collector and he takes a look at his future path ahead in the world of fashion and figurative art.

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

For over 25 years Bill Greening’s unique designs and fashion brought Barbie into the new millennium. From Play to Collector lines, his passionate work has helped shape the world’s most famous doll for new generations. Known by every Barbie collector, not just because of his designs, but also his passion as a collector himself, he has embraced every facet of the Barbie world and been supportive of collectors around the world and at shows and conventions. In this first of two episodes chatting with Greening, he takes us on a journey from his childhood in California to his early days at Mattel, fulfilling a lifelong dream of designing for Barbie. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

In this new episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook delves into the future of collecting to identify potential upcoming trends and what the emerging generations will think about the protection of objects past. There are some surprising predictions that will hopefully be reassuring to today's collectors  that the items they passionately gather today will continue to be appreciated and protected well into the future.

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.