Boulders in living rooms. Art-for-food swaps. Epic quests for the one that got away. When it comes to art collecting, nothing’s off the table for those who are truly committed. Over the course of 2024, CULTURED had the privilege of speaking to some of the world's top collectors, getting a peek into their homes and insight into the way they think about preserving art for the next generation.
Here are some of the juiciest excerpts from CULTURED’s most popular art collector interviews of the year.
Michael McCarty: “In the beginning, it was just us collecting and building five restaurants. We had to make a collection for each restaurant, and they were extraordinary. If you pick up an old copy of Apartment Life from 1986, they have pictures of our restaurant, the Rattlesnake Club, in Denver, loaded with Jonathan Borofsky sculptures and Charles Garabedian paintings—huge pieces. Some of the works were loaned to us, some we did as trades for food or cooking, and some we bought back then.”
Collecting Heavyweight Craig Robins Reveals the Two Artists You Need to Keep An Eye On
“I’m especially excited about Kai Althoff. He’s at a remarkable point in his career. Althoff has received critical acclaim through exhibitions at MoMA, Whitechapel, and beyond, yet his work remains provocative and deeply challenging. I’m proud to have been an early supporter. On the other hand, Jana Euler represents a new generation of extraordinary talent. She’s a recent addition to my collection, and I’m excited to continue following her career.”
“The first piece I bought from a gallery was a Raymond Pettibon drawing from David Zwirner in 2000. It was a drawing of a fly with the word 'SWAK!' (like the sound of a fly swatter) written on it. 'SWAK' being 'KAWS' backward, I took it as a sign and bought it as a birthday present for myself. This morning I purchased a painting by Futura 2000 titled World Tour Action, 1984. It’s a painting I’ve wanted for a while and was the invitation image for his show at Tony Shafrazi.”
Suzanne McFayden’s Rules for Art Collecting: Get "Eye Mileage" and Wait for the Stomach Tingle
“You can go to a museum, you can find your local gallery, you can engage in conversations about the work. There are always opportunities to get ‘eye mileage.’ I'm pretty sure I didn't set out to be a collector. I just set out to have things that made me feel good and made my space feel good for myself and my children—things that reflected who we are."
Fashion Heavy-Hitter Morgan Stewart McGraw Has a Private Passion for Art. See Inside Her Collection
“I instantly know if something is meant for me by my gut reaction to it. I don’t waste time. I know exactly what I want or don’t want pretty immediately, which is what has made our collecting process so much fun. We would look at hundreds of pieces and only be drawn to a few—and they were in our home the following week!”
"No Sheep, Only Leaders": Prolific Collector Nancy Magoon Breaks Down the Aspen Art Scene
“Growing up in New York, I fell in love with going to museums that started my learning process. I was in New York during 9/11, and my first thought was to find solace in a museum. I spent the day at the Museum of Modern Art, and when I left I felt capable of dealing with it all.”
“There is a series in my house entrance by Cuban artist Yoan Capote called 'Abstinence.' They are bronze hands posed in sign language; on one side, they are signing 'Politica' and on the other, 'Democracia.' In Cuba, you are not supposed to speak about politics or democracy, so it’s a piece about censorship and trying to communicate despite an authoritarian regime. The hands look like they are greeting you, but they have a far more political and conceptual meaning on closer inspection.”
Eileen Harris Norton: “Since the beginning, I have collected LA artists, women artists, and artists of color. Recently, I have invested in works by artists who represent an early generation of artists of color, including Alma Thomas, Bob Thompson, and Frank Bowling. I credit these artists for paving the way for others and inspiring new voices.”
César Reyes: “I really credit the wonderful curators we have now living outside of Puerto Rico and our artists in the last few years, people like Marcela Guerrero at the Whitney, and Carla Acevedo-Yates of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. They have raised the level of curating, and brought the artists they love and identify with to their museums.”
“The two works that evoke/provoke the most responses are our four-ton Michael Heizer boulder in a corten steel box embedded in my office wall, Scoria Negative Wall Sculpture, and our James Turrell-designed screening room and skyspace, Picture Plane. Both required a great deal of time and love to get built and installed. Our guests are knocked out by them.”
“Within the art world, there were quite a few male-dominated galleries who would roll their eyes at me. Now, female artists are the center of attention, and I remember who didn't support me. I forgive, but I don't forget. I was starting my own exciting journey of discovery, my own path, and speaking my brain, not concerned about other people.”
