The exact value of Ulrich’s collection is hard to determine because he’s constantly selling and buying. Consequently, he does not own the paintings forever. He explains why in an interview: “[…] you don't own art. The artists own art. You just hold on to it to enjoy it for a while […] There is very little art that I hoard. I've had 10-15 great years with some of these paintings and now it's time to get some other ones”.
Is Lars Ulrich a true collector if he is not gathering his painting ? At any case, he does not stick to what he owned and he prefers to renew his collection. But Ulrich doesn’t sell paintings just to get rid of them. He cares about the idea of transfer of knowledge in the sense that he wants others to find pleasure in the paintings he used to have. For instance, he talks about the reason why he is selling the Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painting called (Untitled) Boxer at the Christie’s Auction House in 2002: “As a collector I view myself as a caretaker of works of art, rather than simply an owner. I have been fortunate enough to have shared ten great years with this truly iconic painting by Basquiat, and it is time to put it back into circulation, and let someone else enjoy it as much as I have over the last decade”. So it not only about renewing his collection; he is transmitting the thrill he had with the paintings. Of course, it works also in the other way. He claimed in the Some Kind of Monster documentary that while he ‘s watching a painting in a museum for example, he’s feeling adulation that others felt, and that makes him proud.
