Grażyna Kulczyk, Johanna and Friedrich Gräfling, Joop van Caldenborgh, Piotr Bazylko, Sandra Hegedüs, Jean-Louis Haguenauer, Hans Furer, Alexander Ramselaar, Petr Pudil, Stuart Evens, Enzo Enea, Madeleine Bessborough.

Art and art patronage are a fragile matter, one that is clearly affected negatively by crises. In this respect, the role of a collector capable of supporting artists who are spiritually akin and interesting to him at an existentially challenging time becomes more important than ever. For the collectors represented in this issue, it is not the ownership of works by global star artists, valued at seven digit prices, that seems so important. What matters more is art that speaks to them, correlating with their own views on the world and people. It is this kind of art that finds permanent place in their collection, and it is artists capable of creating this kind of art whom they support.

“Collecting for us is not just going to Art Basel, spending money and getting an artwork. It’s really about being involved and getting to the essence of it. It’s not necessary to be friends with the artist, but really having a discourse, an exchange. (…) Art is a kind of key that offers both information and a different perspective on the political, economic and social processes going on in the world,” say German art collectors Johanna and Friedrich Gräfling. By using art as a medium, they are documenting the times they are living in: the thoughts, visions, contradictions, passions, trends and life itself in Europe within the span of their own lifetimes.

Publisher: Arterritory.com
Year of publication: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 176