The Collector's Corner

If there’s one thing I’m learning with this podcast is that there is no single or right way to collect. So speaking with Liza Shapiro (@lizashapiro) and Georgia Powell (@georgiabethpowell), the founders of CURA Art (@cura_art_), I was excited to get a bit more of a meta view on the topic. Since 2019, they've worked with a broad variety of private and corporate collectors between London and Los Angeles, to support them in the ongoing care and management of their collections.
To them caring for one’s art collection is akin to taking care of one’s physical health - an analogy they’ve seen eye to eye on ever since they first met while working together at the Redfern Gallery in London.
Georgia and Liza care deeply about the art they look after on behalf of their clients. However, what motivates them above everything else is developing personal relationships with their clients to help them build collections thoughtfully with purpose, integrity and intent, and ultimately allow them to embrace their role as custodians.
What differences are there between seasoned and new collectors, how do the London and LA art cultures compare, what is really the biggest threat to any art collection. Georgia and Liza share fascinating insights on this and more.
So I’ll stop here and leave you to enjoy my conversation with Georgia Powell and Liza Shapiro of CURA Art.
References from the episode:
Frieze LA
Frieze london
Echo Soho art fair
NextGen Collectors and the Art market by Georgina Adam
Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air art programme
Amy Mackay
Ackerman Studios
Wilder Gallery London
Xanthe Burdett
Tahnee Lonsdale
Joy Simmons
Henriane Mourgue d'Algue

Follow the podcast to see the guests' collections at ⁠@collectors_corner_⁠ !
Cover art picture by Jayne West Photography

I tried to buy an artwork I loved. The gallery had been warm, responsive, helpful but then I made an offer, and heard nothing back. No explanation. Just silence.
In this Behind The Mic episode, I unpack what actually happened, what I didn't understand about how galleries work, and why that silence - frustrating as it felt at the time - turned out to be one of the most useful things that's happened to me as a new collector.

I hope you enjoy this episode - let me know your thoughts on Instagram @collectors_corner_ or on the podcast website!

Daniela Bianco (@theblondeartdealer) has spent her career at the heart of the commercial art world: 15 years in galleries, followed by a few years at Artsy in private sales, and she is now Chief Sales Officer at art tech company Artscapy, a platform designed to simplify art collecting, management and investing for collectors. She has curated selling exhibitions in London, Milan and Brussels, and launched her own blog, The Blonde Art Dealer, and podcast, Secrets of the Art Business, back in 2020.
Daniela is also a collector in her own right, collecting personally for 18 years, with a very unique point of view at the intersection of art, investment and tech, and the reason I wanted to have her on the podcast.
We sat on the terrace at Tate Modern, overlooking the Thames. It was one of those moments where I felt very grateful to be able to talk about my favourite subject with someone who knows it so well.
The conversation did not disappoint. We covered the hierarchy of mediums, why collectors should consider art as an asset class, art advisor red flags, and the problematic buy-one-donate-one gallery model. What came through across every topic is Daniela's dedication to helping collectors, both new and established, make empowered decisions, so they can focus on building and enjoying their collection.
I'll leave you now to enjoy my conversation with Daniela Bianco.
References in the episode:
Gonkar Gyatso
Thandiwe Muriu
Rala Choi
Annie Morris
Julie Mehretu
Helen Frankenthaler
Avant Arte
Pauline Karpidas Collection
Artsy
Artnet
The Art Newspaper
FT The Art Market
Lisa Schiff
Lindsey Bull
Women in the picture
Isabella Amran
Alexis Ralavaio
Valeria Napoleone

Follow the podcast to see the guests' collections at ⁠@collectors_corner_⁠ !

Today I am speaking with long time ultra-contemporary art collector, curator, author and entrepreneur Sonia Borrell (@soniabblondon). Originally from Barcelona, Sonia was drawn to art since childhood but trained to become a lawyer to meet family expectations. Upon moving to London after graduation, she immersed herself in the local art scene and quickly left law behind.
She started her collection in 2008 and has since dedicated her life to discovering, nurturing championing and uplifting artists through her own acquisitions and by acting as a bridge between the creative and business sides of the art world. She wrote Art in Real Time, full of advice for artists and collectors and recently she launched StudioToGallery, a platform where she mentors artists at scale and which has seen hundreds of applicants within the first few weeks of launching.
With Sonia we talked about the way art has become a shared family passion, how she thinks about legacy and why collectors must embrace their custodial responsibility to artists and to the ecosystem — a point that resonates deeply in a changing art world where artists increasingly treat their practice as equal parts business and art.
Sonia’s journey is very rich and layered, and we could have talked for much longer but I will leave you to discover her story!
References mentioned in the episode:
Jaume Plensa
Leo Castelli
Larry Gagosian
Herb and Dorothy Vogel documentary
Marfa Invitational
Michael Phelan
Ray Smith
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Julian Schnabel
Takashi Murakami
Galerie Perrotin
Mr.
José Luis Barquero
ARCO Contemporary Art Fair in Madrid
Manuel Exposito
Maria Vargas
Museo Reina Sofia
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

Follow the podcast to see the guests' collections at ⁠@collectors_corner_⁠ !

Today I’m speaking with collector couple Julia Lammer (@julammer) and Nico Epstein (@nicoknowsart_). Together they run arbulu studio, working with art world stakeholders across the spectrum to help them achieve positive and lasting impact. They come from complementary sides of the art world: Julia from museums, strategic planning and philanthropy, and Nico from art advisory, curatorial and education through his platform Collector Connoisseur.
They started collecting individually and have carried on together, navigating rare disagreements with a few guiding principles whilst avoiding boxing themselves into any hard and fast rules.
Julia and Nico bring an incredibly valuable perspective to both aspiring and seasoned collectors. We talk about developing nuanced judgement and guiding principles for collecting over time, but what I love most from our conversation is the very tangible and practical insights they share both through examples from their personal collecting journey and their client work over the last 15 years.
I definitely recommend you check out Collector Connoisseur if you’re ready to start collecting. And with the code CCORNER15 listeners get 15% off until March 4th. That’s CCORNER15 on www.collectorconnoisseur.com
I’ll stop here for now and let you enjoy our conversation!
References from the episode:
Etienne-Jules Marey
Eadweard J.Muybridge
George Eastman Museum
Leonard Lauder Cubist Collection
Aipad Fair
Hokusai
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Paul Kneale
Aleksander Hardashnakov
Zoe Barcza
Paris Internationale
Asia Now Paris
Kasetsu
Arco Lisboa
Tristan Unrau
Georg Baselitz
Maria Berrío
Josh Kline
Camden Arts Centre
Gaia Art Foundation
Black Cultural Archives
Light Art Space Berlin
Clearing
BLUM
Stephen Friedman
Herald St Gallery
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Carlos/Ishikawa Gallery
Esther Schipper Gallery
Peter DOIG
Katharina Grosse
291 Artist Agency
Barneby's
The Salesroom
Invaluable
Art Price
Kees Van Dongen
Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
Marc Prats Quintana
Oliver Bak
Florentina Holzinger
Herb and Dorothy Vogel
Budi Tek
Agnes Gund

Follow the podcast to see the guests' collections at ⁠@collectors_corner_⁠ !