The Hawaii-born finance executive, who serves as co-chair of Friends at the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and on the Officer’s Committee of the MoMA Contemporary Arts Council, favors provocative, hard-to-live-with art that makes curators drool and interior decorators throw up their hands.

Describe your art collection in three words. 

Conceptual. Challenging. Playful.

Who do you credit with teaching you how to navigate the art world?

[The art advisor] Thea Westreich. She encouraged me to dig into the meaning of artworks rather than base my decisions on appearance. She also passionately believed that great art is not always the popular choice. She introduced me to many gallerists and artists, taught me art-world dos and don’ts, and helped me develop my taste. I still work with Modica Carr, who took over her firm when she retired.

Tell us about the journey to a particularly hard-won acquisition. 

I have been interested in the work of Jana Euler since 2013. She doesn’t make much work and tends to have just one or two shows a year. Her work can be challenging—several recent reviews have termed them “ugly painting.” Her work is often acquired by institutions, which makes the works available to private collectors even more limited. I waited a long time to find a work I was excited about. Finally, in 2020, Jana had a show at Artists Space in New York. The stars aligned, and one of the works I liked became available after an institution passed. I’d been—gently—pestering her galleries for weeks: before the show, at the opening dinner, and for days after the preview. I’m so grateful they decided to offer it to me.

Do you see collecting as an extension of skills you’ve honed in your day job, or an escape from them?

Weirdly, it’s a bit of both. I have been in investment banking and finance since college. I’m very thorough in my “due diligence” and try to be analytical in deciding which works to acquire. That said, I do find myself acquiring pieces just because I can’t stop thinking about them. From a social perspective, the art world is very much an escape. Most of my free time is spent with art world people. No matter how tired my job may leave me, I find being around the diversity and creativity of artists, gallerists, and curators stimulating. No art dinner is ever boring.

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