STELLA Alliance founders Chimere Cissé and Greta Scarpa are less interested in a proverbial seat at the table than they are in building a newer, bigger one. This intention undergirds a model for the next generation of the art world, brought forth by a platform that centers women collectors from a community of engaged, active patrons. Early in their friendship, the pair recognized an opportunity to support this community. STELLA Alliance was born.
What emerged, and has quickly grown since its inception in November 2024, is a global community dedicated to uplifting and connecting women who collect. Their mission is clear: to create structural change, foster lasting cultural influence, and ensure that women are recognized not as exceptions, but established leaders shaping the future of art. Through invitation-only workshops and curated Art Drops—a collecting program spotlighting significant works vetted by curators, gallerists, and academics—and a calendar of international gatherings from Milan to Abu Dhabi, STELLA provides its members with access, education, and visibility within a network that champions long-term cultural stewardship over short-term market trends.
In advance of Frieze London, Cissé and Scarpa joined CULTURED to discuss their vision for STELLA Alliance and its global network.
CULTURED: STELLA is on a mission to close the gap between men and women collectors. Tell us about the kind of patron and community you’re building to achieve this.
Chimere Cissé: Greta and I were introduced in Abu Dhabi by a mutual friend from the art world, and we immediately hit it off. Whenever she visited, we’d spend late nights talking about the huge gap that still exists between the number of men and women collecting art—and why. We’d dissect the historical and structural reasons behind that divide. Eventually, we realized we could either keep talking about the problem or do something about it. We chose the latter.
The statistics are clear: women are significantly underrepresented as art collectors. This isn’t just about numbers, it’s about who gets to shape cultural narratives and whose legacies are remembered. Greta and I have both experienced firsthand how fragmented the landscape can be for women navigating the art market. We wanted to create a space where women collectors could start to influence meaningful change, step into more visibility, and actively collect art under their own names.
Greta Scarpa: STELLA is for active women collectors who want to invest in art in a meaningful and committed way. We bring a long-term lens to collecting, rooted in values that we hope can resonate, building collections with cultural impact. Our goal is to bring together influential women collectors from different global cities, not as isolated individuals, but as a united force and as best-in-class examples of what women-owned collections can look like. These women become catalysts, inspiring others to enter collecting with confidence and purpose.
Cissé: Yes, STELLA operates by invitation, but that’s about protecting our mission and ensuring everyone in the room is genuinely aligned with what we’re trying to achieve. It’s not about exclusion; it’s about intention. Every woman who joins STELLA becomes part of a movement to bring more women into collecting, and that’s how we scale our impact beyond any single gathering. It’s important to note that STELLA is inclusive of men, we see them playing a role in shaping the future structures of collecting for women. Among our first founding patrons are the father-and-son duo behind Dubai boutique property developer SOHO, Somendra and Sahil Khosla.
CULTURED: You’ve achieved remarkable momentum since launching last year. What’s driving this growth, and what are you most focused on for the season ahead?
Scarpa: I believe there’s been a hunger for a space where women collectors can come together to develop and lead. Since launching at Abu Dhabi Art with our inaugural dinner at Cipriani Yas Island, co-hosted by STELLA Founding Patron Giulia Pittini Cipriani—fourth-generation Cipriani family and collector—we knew we’d tapped into something real. STELLA has struck a chord because it speaks to a shift already in motion. Women are increasingly shaping the art world through their presence. What drives our growth is a convergence of timing, vision, and network. Culturally, women now demand authorship, and STELLA gives shape to that shift. Momentum also comes from the strength of our partnerships.
An example is collaborating with voices like influential collector Valeria Napoleone and Frieze Sculpture curator Fatos Üstek, in Collecting with Intention, a recent workshop we held at Casa Cipriani in Milan. Valeria shared her insights on patronage, while Fatos brought an intellectually rigorous, deeply engaging perspective. These aren’t just social occasions, they are transformative moments that connect collectors with artists, institutions and legacy brands in meaningful ways.
Cissé: Looking ahead, we’re focused on deepening the foundations and relationships we have already built: unveiling our first Women Collectors Market Report in collaboration with ArtTactic, expanding our curated Art Drops, and building new cultural partnerships across Europe and the Middle East. The through-line is clear: to place women collectors at the forefront of cultural influence and accelerate the shift in who defines value and narrative in art.
CULTURED: How do you hope to shift women’s place in the art world? Are there instances where you felt overlooked while navigating it?
Cissé: What we’re doing at STELLA is fundamentally shifting the power dynamic. We’re not asking for a seat at the table—we’re building our own table, and we’re inviting the most influential women collectors in the world to sit at it.
But here’s what’s crucial. We’re not just elevating individual women. We’re creating structural change. When women collect in their own names, they build personal legacies. When they collect together, they build cultural infrastructure. That’s the shift we’re after. We’re making visible what’s always been there but underrecognized, women have been collecting, supporting artists and shaping culture for centuries!
Scarpa: Through our gatherings, our workshops, our access point and research we’re creating a documented, visible, presence. The art world is changing because it has to. Women are about to control unprecedented capital and access. The great “wealth transfer” is in motion. The question isn’t whether we belong, it’s how we use that power to reshape the model.
CULTURED: How do the STELLA Art Drops function, from curation to acquisition?
Scarpa: STELLA Art Drops are the opposite of impulse collecting. We’re not interested in the frenzy of art fairs or the anxiety of FOMO acquisitions. We’re focused on works that will matter in twenty years, not just at this season’s dinner parties. The research is rigorous, almost obsessive. We partner with gallerists, curators, and academics. Every work is evaluated against what we call the STELLA Six. We look for artistic significance (is this an emblematic moment in the artist’s practice?), cultural resonance (does it engage with urgent themes or enduring narratives?), distinctive character (does it stand apart?), critical momentum (not hype, but real recognition from respected curators and institutions), future impact (will this work grow in relevance?), and integrity (clear provenance, impeccable condition).
Only works that meet the majority of these criteria make it to our patrons. No exceptions. That’s why an Art Drop might include a Turner Prize-nominated artist or an established one having a solo show at a respected institution. The level we aim to deliver is always cultural significance with long-term resonance.
Cissé: Every acquisition through STELLA is a statement, a woman collector investing in culture, shaping taste, building legacy. And ultimately, that’s what this is about: ensuring that when the history of this moment in art is written, women collectors aren’t footnotes. They’re co-writers. We feel a deep sense of responsibility to steward this project—it’s grown beyond us. The mission now transcends any one or two founders; it’s become something truly meaningful.
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