What Defines an Art Collector in 2023?: The ARTnews Top 200 Collectors Respond

Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt

We imagine that there are and always have been many types of collectors. Some collect broad surveys of work. Some collect from a particular era, medium, or style. Some focus even on a single artist. All that matters is that the collection ultimately reflects the collectors’ authentic journey such that the story of their lives, as they interface with the art world, can be told through the work that they own. We think of ourselves as supporters of artists and stewards of the work more than collectors. It is our goal to make sure that people can experience art in a way that is comfortable for them. Beautiful things can happen anywhere, and the beauty of art should be accessible to all. 

James Keith (JK) Brown and Eric Diefenbach

It’s difficult to define an art collector today.  They come in many forms with varying motives.  For us, we started buying the work of living artists whose practices interested us to enable them to continue creating art.  Our collecting has evolved to also include assembling groups of work that reveal broader conversations happening in different times and places. We have never sold a work. We began collecting in 1992 and started with artists of our generation. Museums and other nonprofit organizations were invaluable in educating us. We consider ourselves stewards or guardians of the art. We freely lend to public institutions when asked.

Suzanne Deal Booth

I approach my art collection as a dynamic and ever-changing entity. I find it important to continually move and reengage the works in new ways, which broadens my perception of each work individually and as it relates to new surroundings. I enjoy living with my artwork and experiencing it in new ways over time. Between my home, business, and winery, I intentionally display and curate the artwork in my collection. Storage is used as a temporary solution between installs; for me, it’s important for the work to be seen and experienced.

Adrian Cheng

Perhaps the change over time is a result of the development of technology, the internet, and the rise of social media. This means we [can] now engage in cultural exchange on a global scale and make our collections more accessible. Collecting now extends beyond physical space and encompasses the digital realm, where ideas and artworks can be shared, discussed, and appreciated by all.

Patricia Phelps de Cisneros

I think an art collector is defined as someone who does more than just buy art. They have to care for it, research it, give it meaning, share it. So much discussion about the art world focuses on prices and competition for artworks. I love meeting collectors who can open my eyes and teach me something new by how they see the world and understand artists.

Basel Dalloul

While there are many ways to define a collector, I’ll give you my take on it: Prominent collectors make collecting their mission. First and foremost, it’s supporting the artists, building relationships with buyers, dealers, gallerists, museums, and foundations. A serious collector will also make sure to maintain any documents, certificates, provenance, and research on their artists. A true collector can actually develop an addiction to collecting, and must always keep this in check. 

Lonti Ebers

There are so many more people collecting today, so the term “art collector” is applied quite liberally. While there is no meaningful definition, defining it principally by quantum is as inadequate a consideration as that of whether pieces are bought and sold. I think a more relevant application for a serious collector can be determined by both the length of time one has been collecting and further substantiated by the collection’s demonstrating a personal vision (versus fashionable art shopping).  

Nicola Erni

My parameters to define how I’m functioning as an art collector are: collect what you truly like, collect an artist’s oeuvre deeply, be passionate and curious about finding new works and artists, build and create your own space with your collection, and contribute to external exhibitions in other institutions—and not selling artworks. Art, for me, means living with it. 

Michael C. Forman and Jennifer Rice

Being an art collector in today’s world is a very active experience. The equation of who to collect and which piece to acquire is about more than the piece of art itself: it’s about the artist, the message, the stories, and the relationships. For us, the art we collect is a direct reflection of what we value, whether it’s art created by previously undervalued artists or art with a message or perspective we think is important. Dynamic art collections are reflections of their time and as such we think a lot about the symbolism inherent in the objects.

Barbara Gamson

I think a common misconception of an “art collector” is a person that keeps buying, even when they run out of walls. It’s really so much more than that. It’s about relationships with artists, galleries, museums, and other collectors you meet along your collecting journey. We’ve met the best people and created lifelong friendships through art! I definitely think you become a steward of the artworks: you own them and are responsible for their care and life. It’s a big responsibility, which is why I think long and hard before I buy.

Pamela Joyner and Alfred Giuffrida

In simple terms, we think that anyone who acquires art for a purpose beyond decorating is a collector and the need for storage is a good indicator. However, to be a collector in the fullest and most honorable sense is to support artists and their works to the highest level within one’s means. That includes advocacy, purchasing works at critical times, exhibiting works to key segments of the public, active lending and donating, encouraging scholarship, and, of course, being sensitive about the how and when of deaccessioning any pieces. We do not believe that is different than in times past, though we’d like to think this community of collectors is expanding as more role models emerge.

Jill and Peter Kraus

Over 40 years of collecting, the major change in the market has been the wide use of art consultants and the establishment of the belief that art is an asset class. Our process, in contrast, is a personal journey of acquiring and retaining paintings, sculptures, or videos that capture our imagination.

Grażyna Kulczyk

Collecting art inherently involves the stewardship of cultural heritage, reflecting a certain responsibility towards humanity’s artistic legacy. Today, this role is increasingly viewed as a vital, responsive, and responsible element within the broader scope of art history. Notably, public institutions are forging cooperative relationships with collectors. Recognizing that collections are entities that evolve over time, the very definition of collecting itself is subject to change, allowing for ongoing shifts and adaptations within its framework.

Catherine Lagrange

Collectors have become embedded within the entire ecosystem of the art world. It’s a full-time occupation, involving the support of museums, visits to artists’ studios, and extensive international travel. I’m naturally a private person, so this isn’t always easy for me. Thankfully, I have a son in the business who can do some of the heavy lifting for me.

Jennifer and Alec Litowitz

Being a collector today means supporting the artists that have ties to your city and community. It is important to be civic and celebrate Chicago’s amazing collecting history as well as local world-class artists. We believe championing creative minds with roots and ties to our world-class museums, galleries, and universities is essential. 

Martin Z. Margulies

History repeats itself. Some people collect for social or monetary reasons, but the true collector is in it because they love enhancing their knowledge, they love the exposure to new experiences through art, and they love sharing what they have learned with young people.

Cheech Marin

My definition today is the same as it has been in past years. An art collector is an art collector. I still agree that you are not a collector until you have storage. The impetus for being an art collector is the same; they are always obsessive.

Jarl Mohn

There are as many definitions of collectors as there are collectors. It’s highly personal. I take the word “collection” literally. My belief is that a collection should have a common thread and through-line. I believe a great collection must be distinctive and different enough from others to make it unique. A truly great collection should not be able to be confused with another collection. I recognize very few others subscribe to this point of view, but it is mine. 

Kiran Nadar

Collecting art has become a more structured and focused activity today. Contemporary artistic practices have redefined the art object, taking it beyond traditional mediums and modes of making. Collectors today have become more enterprising in thinking about how to build their collections, often allowing it to be more eclectic and diverse, but with a focus. Personally, I enjoy the meanderings, the sense of discovery and learnings that the act of collecting with an open mind brings along.

Takeo Obayashi

Basically, I think nothing has changed, and nothing will change in the future either. Just like a different artist has a different concept, a different collector can have a different philosophy about his or her collection. 

Batia Ofer

My collection methodology is deliberate, intentionally weaving connections and contrasts. Now, more than ever, I strongly believe that collectors bear a responsibility to approach the act of acquiring artworks and supporting institutions with thorough consideration. Given the current unpredictability of our circumstances, it becomes paramount to adopt a strategic stance toward the causes we wish to impact and the methods we employ to achieve them. In a personal capacity, my focus is distinctly aimed at enhancing the accessibility of art for the younger generation and acknowledging the pivotal role that art education plays in our society. 

Jorge Pérez

I think what defines a true collector withstands the test of both time and trends. A collector is a person who derives so much joy and fulfillment from the objects he/she/they collect that they want to live with them, promote them, and share that passion with others. What happens along the way—supporting artists, opening galleries, creating institutions—is derived from that obsession. 

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

There is an added social responsibility for art collectors in this part of the world. Collecting modern and contemporary art from the Arab world means one has to assume the responsibility of making artworks available to the public, to scholars who are working on documenting modern art histories, and to international institutions, in order to write these works into the global canon of modernism.

Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo

I believe that collecting today is defined by supporting artists’ careers and practices, providing them, for instance, with opportunities for exposure, keeping in mind that the end goal is their success and the fulfilment of their artistic research. It is necessary to keep in mind that the ways of being a patron and a collector change with the generations: the collecting and philanthropic landscape today is not the same as in the 1990s, nor is it the same as canonical arts patronage in the 1500s or 1800s. Today, there is an increased wish on the patrons’ side for being more active in supporting artists’ careers. Patrons today do not simply want to be the financiers of an artist’s practice through the purchase of artworks. 

Tony Salamé

In today’s world, it is more about the whole collection and the legacy to leave to the new generation and to our children. As a collector—and, in particular, our case—the focus is to complete the gap, look at some historical artists, and find works that can fit in the collection and keep on discovering great art and new artists.

Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani

Collecting is such a personal experience. It’s a journey, a process that is always evolving. Our approach is to be open-minded about time periods, cultures, and mediums, but, fundamentally, we’re guided by our love for a work, and that’s something that has not changed. Collecting is also about sharing and giving back, whether by acquiring works by young artists or spreading the joy we feel around art by making our collection accessible. 

Pete Scantland

There are a lot of valid approaches, but mine has been to get involved not just in collecting but in the broader ecosystem. I’ve been interested in art my whole life, and studied art in college, but I realized early on that I would be happier being in a world surrounded by art rather than in being an artist. The company I founded allows me to unite my passion for art by helping artists to realize their interest in doing public projects. Working on these has been a pleasure, but it has also deepened my engagement and informed my collecting.

Jordan Schnitzer

While we often complain that we do not get enough state and federal support, I think it has been a wonderful thing that these museums were founded by and funded by local cultural leaders. Unfortunately, over the years, one unintended consequence was that so many people in various communities thought that their art museum was for some elitist few and not for them. Part of my passion for collecting stems from making the works I acquire available to a wide audience. I hope my legacy in the art world is that I helped facilitate getting amazing art to many less served communities.

Jon Shirley

For Kim and for me, the cardinal rule of collecting is that we both have to love a work. We always say, “We agree to agree.” Happily, finding art we’re both passionate about comes naturally for us. We also recognize a duty to make the arts inclusive, and that is very much our ethos of collecting today. In recent years, our collection has become much more diverse as we’ve acquired more pieces by women artists and artists of color.

Sara Shlesinger

Today, as collectors, John and I immerse ourselves in the world of contemporary art. From the beginning of our collecting experience, we have been drawn to young, emerging artists, and today, are fortunate to call many of those artists friends. Art collecting is a social and emotional experience for us. We continue to discover new artists, develop new relationships, and meet new collectors who share our passion.  

Emile Stipp

Collectors define themselves in so many different ways. But to me, it is not about whether you have works in storage, whether you sell sometimes, or whether you are involved in an institution or not. On these rather mundane matters, I think everyone should be allowed to find their own path, and surely there must be room for more than one. So, the two most important requirements are 1) that you support the artists you love by buying their works, whether from galleries or auction houses, and 2) that you tell the world why you love these artists. If we believe Duchamp, that the viewer completes the work of art, and if we believe that art reflects our shared humanity, then buying works and secreting them away in storage and private homes, never to be seen or heard of again, only does the art and the artist a disservice. I think it is essential for collectors to be vocal advocates for the art they collect.

Carl Thoma

I think there’s a level of buying art to decorate your home, and perhaps a subset of that is just buying art as an investment—in the sense that one feels art is more valuable than cash. Beyond that, [you are a collector when] you’ve finally reached the point where your collection becomes so extensive that the collection takes on a life of its own. What I mean by that is that you have a sense of obligation to be a steward. To me being a steward means showing respect for artists, promoting the collection by supporting exhibitions and research, and loaning your art to museums. Ultimately, much like a family, it becomes part of you—so, therefore, you have an obligation to respect it, care for it, and share it.

Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza

People have historically collected more than what fits into their living room. What is interesting about women collectors is that the majority look for ways of generating more impact through collaboration. I prefer to learn from personal experience, and, for a contemporary collector, I would define this as a major task: to open and share learning opportunities for us all to broaden our horizons, and to accept that, with that shift, we will find it easier and easier to incorporate the change within that we so desire to see in others.

Anne and Wolfgang Titze

There is no doubt that the market of contemporary art has changed dramatically during the last 30 years. What makes the buyer of art a real collector? Collecting based on defined strategies regarding the collection, not just adding one piece of art to another without a context. Collecting with the goal of creating a unique message of the collection. In this respect, building a collection is an art in itself. Not selling art to make profits, but to reorganize and restructure the collection. Constantly reviewing the status quo and development of the collection—within a constantly changing environment. Very importantly, a real collection should not stay hidden in storage. Like music, art has to be accessible to the public as regularly as possible. 

Josef Vascovitz and Lisa Goodman

Lisa and I sat down and discussed this question for some time. There is no single point but rather broader changes due to economics and technology. Thirty years ago, there were very few people collecting African and African Diaspora artists. You also had time to look, sit down, hold discussions at art fairs and in galleries, and even wait to meet the artist. Today, you have minutes to make up your mind, often from a PDF, with people waiting to grab whatever is left.

In the past, we would travel to art fairs to discover work and be surprised. Now we go to see what we bought or regret what we passed—a lot of regrets. Indeed, art fairs used to be unique, with idiosyncrasies based on geography or mood of the season. Now it’s more likely to be homogeneous, and the economics of art fairs have made the idea of discovery rare. Today, you have to work to buy art. You study, you research, and you discuss, not the week before but constantly. Maybe this is the good side: we are more invested in the art we buy.

Sonya Yu

Artists have this incredible talent of alchemy- to transmute their experiences, narratives, and perspectives to this sensorial format. The ability to access that experience is a part of the privilege of an art collector, and as with any privilege, it is a responsibility. Although access to information is easier now than ever, access itself is still a tightly guarded practice.

An art collector is a custodian of these artworks and while we are lucky for the opportunity to live with them, we are ultimately responsible for proliferating them out in the world, both as an advocate for artists and to amplify diverse perspectives.