The Collector's Corner

What does patronage mean today, and what does it look like when your wish to make an impact is bigger than your wealth?

Henriane Mourgue d’Algue spent more than twenty years in the corporate world, first in finance and then as an executive coach, living between Europe, Asia and the US. About ten years ago, while studying art history, she began building a collection. Over time, a theme emerged that was close to her own story: artists exploring identity and belonging, and voices that don’t usually get heard.

Within a couple of years, Henr...

My guest today is one of the most eclectic collectors I've come across. Linda Du is the founder of fintech startup Moola, splitting her time between Berlin and London. She's drawn to the overlaps between art, tech and money: three worlds that rarely speak to each other, but which she moves between seamlessly. One example: she applies the economic concept of utility to her collecting. In a nutshell, a way of measuring satisfaction rather than money, in this case the joy she gets from the art she acquires.

I was particularly struck by how woven art is...

After a couple of months of a somewhat forced summer hiatus, I'm very excited to be back with today's interview.

I'm obviously passionate about art, but I've also long nurtured an interest in design, mostly vintage, or as today's guest calls it, historical design. So when I first came across collectible design, I'll admit I was a little unsure: is it decoration, is it furniture, is it art? As I learned in this conversation, it seems to touch all of the above, and so much more.

My guest today is Liv Vaisberg, co-founder of COLLECTIBLE...

When Jorg Rozier first reached out to tell me he had found a method that systematically allowed him to identify how an artist's trajectory was evolving within the art canon, I was obviously intrigued. He'd decided to put his model (yes, as in Excel model) into a book so that more collectors could use it. That book is The Canon Index, and that's how today's interview came about.

Jorg's collection, in his own words, is built around one idea: a fight. The model he developed to build it is grounded in a peer-reviewed study published...

When Jorg Rozier first reached out to tell me he had found a method that systematically allowed him to identify how an artist's trajectory was evolving within the art canon, I was obviously intrigued. He'd decided to put his model (yes, as in Excel model) into a book so that more collectors could use it. That book is The Canon Index, and that's how today's interview came about.

Jorg's collection, in his own words, is built around one idea: a fight. The model he developed to build it is grounded in a peer-reviewed study published in Science...

Every gallery show has one: the text on the wall, or the sheet you pick up at the door, that is meant to help you understand the artwork. But how often does it actually do that? In this Behind The Mic episode, I talk about my complicated relationship with show texts, the validation I've been looking for in them, why they so often don't deliver it, and the afternoon at a Berlin gallery when one text finally changed my whole perspective.

Jesse Darling, The Contractor at Galerie Molitor

I hope you enjoy this...

The collector experience doesn't exist in isolation: it's shaped by the infrastructure around it, the web connecting artists to galleries, galleries to new audiences, and new audiences to the work. The problem is, that infrastructure has gaps.

Ade Sanusi, founder of Art Meets Culture (@artmeetsculture), has spent years identifying where it fails and building his own answer to it. Through events, brand partnerships, talks, and a brilliant podcast, he creates what he calls cultural infrastructure for the next generation of artists - in particular those trying to build careers without traditional entry points. He came up through...

In this episode, I continue my exploration of art advisory with Prisca Pan, founder of Unframd. Based in the US, Prisca works with clients from tech, law, and finance and puts strategy and financial thinking explicitly at the centre of her practice, which I hadn't come across yet and therefore truly caught my attention. Her mission is to get more people collecting while understanding art as an asset class, which she directly compares to venture capital.

That last part is where things get complicated for me. My day job is in finance and alternative assets, so I...

I never seriously considered working with an art advisor. To me, 'having an advisor' was something for people with a lot of means and experience - ironically, those who might need it least. Tackling that limiting belief was one of the reasons I started interviewing art advisors, alongside understanding what they actually do.

Following my last episode with a Paris-based collector/advisor duo, I'm continuing with this format and introducing my first NY-based guests.

Kate Lee works in tech, started collecting five years ago, and the clarity and ambition behind her and her partner's approach...

I’ve always been intrigued by art advisors. Who are they, what do they do, why and how does one become one and what is their role in the ecosystem? I’ve encountered multiple and they all seem to define their work in a very unique way. So in an attempt to get my questions answered I decided to do a joint interview, an art collector and their advisor.

Back in Paris I sat down with Régis Decour - an entrepreneur with no formal art background who started collecting at age 19 - and Yana Kotina (@kartadvisory), his a...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

In today's episode I am speaking with Chimere Cissé, founder of art consultancy Art Korero, co-founder of Stella Alliance and, of course, contemporary art collector. 

Chimere started her career in luxury fashion and media but growing up in a home filled with antiquities, she early on developed an interest in art. She shares insights into her personal journey as a collector, always staying true to her instincts despite often feeling like an outsider. 

A few years ago, Chimere decided to direct her focus towards bridging commercial brands with artistic endeavours, combining her art passion and marketing expertise. We talked about her deep commitment to supporting purpose-driven initiative...

Today, I’m back in Berlin to speak with Manuel Koch (@kunstinvestments) - financial journalist, entrepreneur running the financial media platform Inside Wirtschaft, salon host at Salon Schinkelplatz, and one of the most visible figures in Germany’s ultra-contemporary art scene.

Manuel only began collecting around five years ago, but in that short time he has become a real fixture. Alongside his work as a journalist, he devotes almost all of his free time to art - looking, visiting, hosting, sharing. He brings a distinctly journalistic lens to the way he collects, using his highly active Instagram plat...

In this first episode of 2026 I am speaking with the wonderful Carrie Scott (@carriescottcurates). Carrie is an American/English curator and art historian who started her career in Seattle 16 years ago, and has worked with many galleries, businesses, collectors and artists worldwide through her practice, Carrie Scott & Partners.

In 2024, Carrie also launched Seen - a next generation art consultancy and amazing platform that helps collectors, artists, and all art lovers to understand and navigate the art world with confidence. And of course Carrie’s own wonderful collection fills her entire home.

I normally highlight collectors wh...

In this first episode of The Collector's Corner, I am speaking with Dr. Corina Krawinkel about her collecting journey.

A dentist by background who owns two dental practices in the Cologne area, Corina started collecting at the age of 19 and is a well-known collector in Germany's contemporary art scene. Her collection which focuses on post-war German art, has grown to include both iconic artists from her generation and emerging talent. In our conversation, Corina talks about how she personally approaches collecting and why historical and contemporary contexts play such an important part in how she selects work...

Today I am interviewing Klaus Mertens, a discreet but active Berlin-based collector who also sits on the advisory board of Haus am Waldsee, one of the most exciting contemporary art venues in the city. Klaus most recently founded a deep tech company, but he has had an interest in contemporary art since he was a student and started acquiring works together with his wife a few years ago. They slowed down collecting with the arrival of their kids but remain committed to building their collection, particularly favouring artists who have ties to the Berlin art scene.

With...

This week I am trying out a new format with this solo episode, where I reflect on the five lessons I have learned so far about collecting art through my interviews with collectors on the field.

From where the real gatekeeping is happening, to the role of relationships and how to think about the market, these are the things collectors unanimously seem to agree on, regardless of their unique personal style.

If you are an aspiring collector or interested in a look behind the scenes of how collectors think, this episode is for you!

Today I am very happy to have Rachel Verghis on the podcast - one of the first guests I had on my radar when the idea of the podcast started coming to fruition, and I’m grateful she opened up so generously about her story and her passion for bringing art to as many people as possible.

Based in London, Rachel is a former investment banker who found her calling in art and collecting. Without any formal art education, her journey began after taking a sabbatical to volunteer at a Sydney gallery followed by a brief stint at...

Today I am in London with Susan Dunn. Susan is the founder of Harbour Litigation Funding, which funds high value legal disputes - a fascinating industry that Susan kickstarted in the UK in the early 2000s and is worth over 2 billion pounds today.

While diving into litigation funding would have also made for a compelling podcast episode, Susan and I talked about her favourite topic in the world - art. Susan started collecting even before she became a lawyer and hasn’t stopped since. In her flat, all surfaces, walls and shelves, are dedicated to art. But be...

Today I am in Paris with Raphaël Isvy (@raph_is) Raphaël doesn't come from an art background or career but since he was a kid, the act of collecting has been a big part of his life - be it trainers, Pokemon cards or video games.

His fine art journey began in 2016 and since 2022, he has been collecting art full time. Raphaël's journey as a fully self-taught collector is incredibly inspiring, I can’t thank him enough for sharing it in such an open and candid way! From the early days finding artists on Insta...

Today I am speaking with Toni Nolte, a Cologne-based collector, during one of her visits to Berlin.

Toni is a medical doctor by training and heads the department for phoniatrics & paedaudiology at the University Hospital in Bonn. For a while, she considered a career in art but chose to study medicine, nonetheless dedicating all her free time to art since. Surprisingly, Toni only recently got into collecting painting. She explains why and and talks about how her early passion for photography has informed the way she approaches collecting across mediums. She also shares some of the unexpected...

Today I am speaking with Tobias Gombert at his Berlin home, where he keeps part of his art collection.

Tobias doesn't come from a collecting family, but he started developing his taste at a young age, growing up in Basel at the time where Art Basel started internationalising. Tobias quickly understood the importance of surrounding himself with mentors who taught him how to look at art and guided him through the art world. The inspiration and knowledge he gathered gave him the confidence to launch on his own collecting journey.

Tobias is a perfect example...

In this episode of The Collector's Corner, I sit down with my friend Vanessa Mauz - a former finance professional turned art collector and co-founder of A.R.C., an art members club aiming to make the art world more accessible.

Vanessa talks openly about why she made this transition, the challenges she encountered as an outsider and why she believes community and relationships is what makes the journey worthwhile. As a young collector, she hopes to grow alongside the artists she supports by focusing on contemporary works from her generation. She also shares her learnings on...

In this episode of The Collector's Corner, I am speaking with Corina Krawinkel about her collecting journey.

A dentist by background who owns two dental practices in the Cologne area, Corina started collecting at the age of 19 and is a well-known collector in Germany's contemporary art scene. Her collection which focuses on post-war German art, has grown to include both iconic artists from her generation and emerging talent. In our conversation, Corina talks about how she personally approaches collecting and why historical and contemporary contexts play such an important part in how she selects work. She also...

Have you ever looked at an artwork and wondered, "Could I own something like that?" Welcome to "The Collector's Corner" – your insider guide to the elusive world of art collecting.

Here, passionate collectors from all walks of life invite you into their journeys, sharing their passion for art and individual approach to collecting. "The Collector's Corner" is for anyone curious about the art world and art collecting, from breaking entry barriers to finding hidden gems and making smart investments.

Whether you're a seasoned or aspiring collector, follow and subscribe to "The Collector's Corner" to discover th...