Ulrich shares one specific characteristic with dilettantes which is the notion of pleasure as a source of knowledge. Basically, this is the one and only common point he has with dilettantes.
Dilettantes are a network of individuals, that is to say a group of people who gathers to share their knowledge. As far Ulrich is concerned, he does not associate with other collectors. He just has some brief discussions from time to time with other famous musicians such as Adam Clayton, U2’s bass player, who is also a Basquiat admirer. But they do not meet to exchange about their respective collections. As it was said before, Ulrich’s passion remains solitary. He collects for his own bliss which is a kind of “Art for Art’s sake” philosophy. He does not collect to assert his taste for art, or to contribute to any organisation, which is something dilettantes do.
If Lars Ulrich had to be categorized, he would certainly be labelled as a dandy; a man who likes to be seen as an understated and original individual. And he is definitely an original man because he has a kind of duality, on the verge of split personality. One the one hand he is a rough heavy metal artist whereas on the other hand he is someone who knows how to show himself as a sophisticated erudite person.
