London art dealer Iwan Wirth had this to say about art collectors coming back to the fore in the midst of the financial crisis:  "Collecting is like a disease - you can only stop when you die."  While I collect makeup and not art (or as I like to argue, it can be considered art!)  I definitely can relate.  Among collectors of all objects there is a sort of compulsion to get as many items as you can and fill in the gaps of your current collection.  And yes, not even a recession can keep many of us from continuing to expand our collections.  Still, I like to refer to collecting as a "hobby" rather than a "disease"!

(image from theartnewspaper.com)