I MET Paulino Que during the birthday party of Toto Gonzalez at Cafe Ysabel last Chinese New Year’s Day. Que is an art collector, but to merely call him an “art collector” would be an injustice to a life’s work of accumulation. In just a little more than 30 years, Que has amassed a treasure trove of Philippine artworks that would rival local institutions like the Lopez or Ayala museums. What’s the most astonishing fact? Que started collecting only in 1979.

Recently, he opened a nonsale exhibition of a hundred self-portraits by Filipino artists, titled Imagining Identity, on view until March 3 at Finale Art File’s Warehouse 17 at La Fuerza Compound, Pasong Tamo, Makati. The exhibit is the third in a series of systematically curated shows through which Que has unveiled his odyssey to the public. And what a complex it is.

The reasons that drive a man to amass art may be manifold: is it a lack of an inborn artistic fire, an itch that refuses to die, or some illogical, unsolvable equation that leads one to buy, buy, buy and then show off? Is it a will to power as Nietzsche imagined, or a symptom of the libido, like that of Freud’s? Did Hitler need an empire, stitching a superstructure from one country to the next and dreaming of a higher civilization—the Third Reich—because he was really a small, small man? (Some say he was the son, insecure though he was, of Jose Rizal) Can the drive to accumulate be explained through reason? Or is it an obsession?

Que (who is neither a Nietzsche, a Freud nor a Hitler) says, “My parents asked me to furnish our new house while I was growing up. It was natural that I turned my collecting instinct from stamps to antique furniture and paintings. The urge to amass evolved naturally from simpler things to bigger things.” It was so simple: he was an obedient son on a lark to following mother’s wishes.

But in answering in his own way, Que also refused to answer my need to “psychoanalyze” him, or to use the words of Foucault, to turn him into a “my subject.” Okay, I was never really trained for the make-believe couch, not that Que actually needed one. In fact, in the course of merely listening to him, you will realize that what you have been doing since the day you were born has been a big mistake. From the start, there was no need for psychoanalysis, higher education or your vaunted profession, even if you happen to be a mind reader. In fact, going to college or chasing after your career goals were red herrings if they did not lead you to life’s biggest bonanza which Que spoke of with much zeal: the pursuit of Juan Lunas and F.R. Hidalgos, the chasing-after of Fernando Zobels. If there’s one thing that explains itself, it’s “You should have been collecting art in the first place!” No need for repetition or explanation. There’s no golden pot somewhere over the rainbow. There’s only art, art, art!

So the point is made. I’ve stitched up from my conversation with Que some words of advice to beginner collectors and restated bits of wisdom for those who have already feasted on the tabernacle. A lot of art collectors may have weened themselves on every drop of milk from the nipple of Aphrodite, preferring to search for beauty. (As if beauty exists in the first place, or can be found, without the beholder—now this merits a spin-off story of its own: what is beauty and can it be bought?) But first here’s some advice to art collectors. Here’s what Paulino Que had to say, which we mingled and mangled to produce three itsy-bitsy theses of art wisdom which we also claim to be our own:

Nugget #1: “There are no more good deals on the masters.”

THIS mirrors the fact that the market will always strive to reach the equilibrium of efficiency, no matter how imperfect the market. For nongeeks, this simply means that the market for selling master works will tend to be efficient so that inevitably the right buyers will find the right sellers. This means that the next great Picasso on the auction block has your name on it if you have the $100 million dollars to spare. The market always strives for efficiency and equilibrium. You will never find a $1 masterpiece. Supply versus demand.

But no matter its efficiency and equilibrium, new states of efficiency and equilibrium may be introduced to topple the old status quo. New masters may be introduced to topple the old hierarchy. This was seen shortly after the turn of the century in Europe when collectors veered away from old masters and academic painting to modern art. Changes of taste and new power centers create new masters. In the Philippines, this was seen when a new middle and upper class started to buy modern art and veered away from the “traditional” styles that were exemplified then by Fernando Amorsolo. Recently, a new state of efficiency and equilibrium was introduced when new local art was sold at international auctions. Some newer artists instantly were priced way above the senior ones who had much more to say in terms of contribution to art history and development. However, the newer artists showed works that were qualitatively more superior to the quantitative bulk of the older artists. We guess the war between the two still rages on.

Advice #2: “Socialization is the key to authentication.”

QUE said that the market will inevitably authenticate a work if it merits authentication. This means that collectors should not buy a work before other collectors and experts have seen the work and agreed on its genuineness. Buying beforehand may lead to the possession of forgeries. Que said that collectors should seek the advice of experts. Proper authentication is needed. Que explained that recently a new collector was duped of millions because he did not wait for the authentication that would have occurred through socialization and the inherent merit of the work. The collector was too greedy and excited to buy three fake Amorsolos. However, waiting for authentication to occur also means waiting for others to encroach on the game. So be wary.

Advice #3 “Take your time; but be in a hurry.”

QUE'S private collection took more than 30 years of research, hard work and patience to assemble. Que admitted that he has also committed a series of mistakes, like buying the inevitable forgery and paying more for a lower-priced piece. In the end, the mistakes created barriers to committing new mistakes because “you don't want to go into repetition and you learn quickly from expensive mistakes.” Que says that collectors should not limit themselves to a single art source. He said that he has bought directly from artists, as well as through galleries, agents and brokers. He also revealed that he has bought though auction houses if the need to acquire a certain piece was tremendous. “Let's say, you're missing a piece from a series and that piece materializes at auction. You don't have a choice but to raise the paddle,” he said. Don't worry even if you buy at a price higher than the market's; just be sure that the piece better be worth it in the long run.

The long run seems to have worked for Paulino Que. Imagining Identity includes the self-portraits of Fabian de la Rosa, Fernando Amorsolo, Victorio Edades, Romeo Tabuena, José Joya, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Fernando Zobel, Ang Kiukok, BenCab, Jose Joya, Arturo Luz, Onib Olmedo, Danilo Dalena and many others. Two gems in the exhibit include the earliest known self-portrait in Philippine art, by Damian Domingo, and a rare oil sketch by Juan Luna.