7 Most Famous Oil Paintings Art Collectors
A golden rule of thumb in the art industry is – art is priceless and art collectors ensure the future of every masterpiece. Be it a spectacular landscape or a staggering portrait, they are hard to be price tagged because of the emotions and perspective they evoke.
Some of the most incredible paintings and art displayed in spectacular museums and galleries across the world are due to the passion of these art collectors who could go to the moon and back, to get hold of masterpieces.
While some art collectors had an eye for art, others were multi-billionaires who wished to add to their multi-million dollar collection. In this article, we are going to discuss 7 such famous and influential art collectors who own a massive collection of artworks.
Ezra and David Nahmad
The Nahmads brothers are businessmen with an avid interest in the art industry not out of passion but only for profits. With the art collection valued at a whopping $3 million, it is by far the most valuable art collection across the entire world.
A little deep dive into their careers would reveal their backgrounds in investment banking and it would be a no-brainer to guess why the Nahmads are more interested in pocketing profits than collecting artworks.
Their art collection warehouse is located near the Geneva Airport, which implies that it’s tax-free and helps them make the most out of the investment. It is rumored that the Brothers have over 300 of Picasso’s work that is worth over $900 million. Moreover, you would find almost 5,000 artworks in their warehouse at any given point.
Charles Saatchi
Charles Saatchi, the co-founder of Saatchi and Saatchi, is known in the entire art world as a passionate art collector. He also tends to follow the unconventional route of selling his collection online than the traditional route of gavel pounding art auction houses.
Although the entire value of Charles Saatchi’s art collection remains unknown, at any given time he had been known to sell thousands of dollars’ worth of art. Charles is more focused on collecting incredible works of Middle Eastern art and has somehow become an important benchmark in the art community.
Bernard Arnault
Arnault is known all across the world for his art collection of some prolific artists like Picasso, Yves Klien, Warhol, Henry Moore, to name a few. His sizeable art collection is worth millions or even billions in today’s world. Arnault also built the Louis Vuitton Foundation to support art curation, especially contemporary art.
Steven Cohen
With a prestigious art collection that is valued at $1 billion, Steven Cohen is another influential art collector in the world of art. Being an investor and a hedge fund manager himself, Cohen is more inclined to collect art for his passion than running behind profits.
He is known to spend a huge sum of money, to own a variety of artworks that ranges from post-impressionist paintings to abstract modern art. The notable pieces in his incredible collection include Young Peasant Woman by Van Gogh, Madonna by Munch, Police Gazette, and Woman III by De Kooning, Bathers by Gauguin, along with one of the drip paintings by Pollock.
Francois Pinault
This French billionaire, who is also the founder of luxury fashion brands like Yves Saint-Laurent, Gucci, among others, is another prestigious art collector in the industry. He has been an art collector for over 30 years with an inclination towards the abstract modern and contemporary art.
Some of the notable art pieces in his collection include artwork from artists like Warhol, Rothko, and Koons. This Frenchmen also owns Christie’s, one of the other famous art auction houses other than Sotheby’s. Plus, with over 2,500 artworks and a valuation worth $1.4 billion, it’s a no brainer to understand why he is so influential. The Palazzo Grassi in Venice showcases some of his collected artworks.
David Geffen
David Geffen who is the founder of Geffen Records, Asylum Records, and Dreamworks Animation had an earnest love towards art. While collecting artworks he had a keen interest in the midcentury work of American artists. Even after selling the most notable art pieces like 1948, Pollack’s No. 5, De Kooning’s Women III, he still has got some power over the art community.
After all, who can ignore the sheer skills of a businessman that Geffen has? Plus, he also holds the record of owning the largest owned art collection by a single person. His eye for art has influenced the art world, especially in the U.S.
Philip Niarchos
Philip Niarchos, the Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos eldest son is the next on the list. His father left Philip a fortune of $5 billion and a large art collection, after his death in 1996. This collection has one of the largest stockpiles of Van Gogh’s masterpieces.
Even after his father’s death, Philip had continued adding some significant artwork purchases to the lot left by his father. Niarchos was a genius, who brought Basquiat’s Self-Portrait for just $3.3 million and was first of the few collectors to do that. After all, Basquiat’s works were much more valued than that.
The Bottom Line
Looking at some of these famous art collectors here we understand their passion and the business mind that runs to own such pieces. However, if you also wish to own some of the most notable paintings mentioned here, you can do it by just visiting the 1st Art Gallery and looking for yourself.