Participation in the actual events of the day
The collector of contemporary art actually participates in the discourse of the day, adding through acquisition his or her particular inflection to this tumultuous conversation. Hence, the collecting of contemporary art... confers a voice upon the collector with regard to the formation of the larger culture and allows for real participation in the actual events of the day.
- Critic and curator Robert Pincus-Witten as quoted in Artforum, April 2008, p. 296.