Art collecting has many thrills: discovering an artist at the dawn of their career is one of the more palpable. Sourcing the art of a nascent talent takes hours of scouring the Internet, gallery artist lists, and art fairs around the world. Be it the excitement of seeing a young artist find their footing or the pride of introducing a rising star to a new audience, collectors relish the opportunity to spotlight someone worth following for decades. Below, we combed CULTURED’s archives to find the emerging artists these 11 prolific collectors can’t stop thinking about.
“I am absolutely smitten with the instinctive painterly work of Adrianne Rubenstein.”
“I got to know an artist named Armig Santos through my work at the Whitney; he was one of the 22 Puerto Rican artists in the ['no existe un mundo poshuracán'] show. I have a piece by him in my personal collection. I'm so excited about his work. He's so young in his career. He's 22 years old and already an amazing artist. I love the way that he really researches history and historical techniques, and you can see those sprinkled into his work. I’m excited about the future for him.”
“I’m super into Tidawhitney Lek, a Cambodian-American artist represented by my friends at Sow & Tailor. Figurative painting is obviously having a huge moment, and I love the energy, vibrancy, and subtle subversiveness of her work.”
“I’m obsessed with Esther Mahlangu, a South African geometrical abstract artist, who paints designs used in the Ndebele tribe. I just purchased my fourth work of hers. Also, Austin Uzor, whose figurative abstract work you really need to see in person to fully grasp. It is stunning.”
“Kennedy Yanko, Hugh Hayden, Miles Greenberg and Sayre Gomez and all the artists WORTHLESSSTUDIOS works with.”
“I love Jocelyn Hobbie (she's Holly Hobbie's daughter—do you remember the dolls?). I adore her vibrant sense of color and mix of prints and patterns. We own many of them and have them grouped gallery style in our living room.”
“My wife and I are huge fans of Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, a Botswana-born and Canada-raised artist. After much waiting and hoping we were finally able to acquire a beautiful painting, The Girls, 2020, which will be on display in our new home. Later this year we are moving into a century-old Arts and Crafts style house that's currently being renovated by Jamaican-Canadian architect Tura Cousins Wilson of the Studio of Contemporary Architecture. We can't wait to display works from the collection in our new space.”
“I am constantly visiting galleries to keep up with the careers of emerging artists. An artist who has been on my radar for years is Naudline Pierre, who was recently added to James Cohan’s roster. I first saw her work at a pop-up show a few years ago with Shulamit Nazarian in Lower Manhattan. Additionally, I am looking at works by Devan Shimoyama and Hiba Schahbaz, both represented by DeBuck Gallery in New York, and works by Shona McAndrews at Chart Gallery.”
"Brandon D. Landers’s paintings are emotional and captivating."
Graham Steele and Ulysses de Santi
“I’m a big fan of Nash Glynn, who I met during the pandemic on Instagram when she donated a work to a queer charity auction. Her work is so wrapped up in art history and deals with modes of representation of the body, femininity, and gender in a way which feels effortless and confident. I’m a huge admirer.”
