Meet a Faculty Member: Richard Trotter
Category: Noteworthy
Trotter, associate professor in the Merrick School of Business, sits in the living room of his North Baltimore home surrounded by part of his vast art collection; learn more about some of Trotter’s pieces. photography: Chris Hartlove
“Part of the fun of collecting is finding the item—and the bargain,” says Richard Trotter, associate professor in the Merrick School of Business’ Department of Management and International Business. Trotter’s love of collecting began with coins when he was a child; as an adult, he regularly sifts through local antique stores and flea markets. “Some of the best things I’ve gotten have been found in Baltimore,” he says.
Over time, Trotter has filled every nook and cranny in his North Baltimore home with statues, paintings, masks, clocks, tapestries, silverware, vases and more, all of which are organized in curated displays. Even the fixtures in his home—chandeliers, fireplaces, rugs and some furniture—are items he’s collected. He calls it his very own “poor man’s Walters Art Museum.”
Although Trotter’s collection spans many centuries and places of origin, he’s partial to Asian art and antiquities. “They’re plentiful to buy and not prohibitively expensive,” he explains, adding that he’s more interested in the history and beauty of these items than in their monetary value.
His most treasured item is a Tibetan thangka, a large painting on a scroll, that he found in Baltimore and that hangs in his living room. “If I’m home in the afternoon, the light hits it and there’s a beautiful, luminous glow,” he explains.
“I actually enjoy living in this environment,” Trotter continues, referring to the hundreds of items throughout his apartment. “I get a great deal of pleasure out of it.”
