Lots of stuff but little explanation

Culled from photo shoots published in France’s eminent design magazine Elle Decoration, “A Passion for Collecting” is a lavish catalog of the art, antiques and oddities amassed by 28 wealthy and mostly not-so-famous folks.

The collections, including surrealistic antiquities, postwar Americana and 1970s futuristic furniture, confirm in at least one respect F. Scott Fitzgerald’s suspicion that the rich are different from you and me: When it comes to displaying treasures, having deep pockets and a good eye make the difference between tacky clutter and tasteful cultivation.

For all its splendor, however, the book (subtitled “Decorating With Arts and Antiques”), with its 300 color photographs, is sort of a tease.

None of the collectors in this 240-page coffee-table tome are photographed or quoted in the uniformly flattering, 250-words-or-less essays that accompany the luscious photography of their high-end interiors.

Looking through the book feels like an invitation to snoop around some of the world’s beautiful homes but only while the owners are out, so you can’t ask any questions.

Bummer.

Without reading about how and why they amassed such noteworthy collections, even recognizable characters such as jeweler Paloma Picasso (a fan of French Deco, walking sticks and her father’s paintings), Gianni Versace (an Empire furniture freak and Pop Art fan) and Bill Blass (a neoclassical nut) are reduced to little more than the sum of their possessions.

David A. Keeps