Portrait of Jan Six
Year: 1654
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
Estimated Price: 350 million USD

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, a painter and engraver in the Netherlands, painted the Portrait of Jan Six in 1654. An oil painting on canvas measuring 112 × 102 centimeters that is in private hands by the Six Foundation in Amsterdam. The portrait has been estimated at a price of $350 million.

La bailarina de Aviñó
Year: 1955
Pablo Picasso
Estimated price: 250 million USD

Pablo Picasso painted The Dancer of Avignon in 1955. It has been hidden for decades in the private collection of Basil Goulandris and is part of his most important works due to its relationship with the work The Ladies of Avignon. The oil on canvas work was auctioned at Christie’s New York in May 2015 and was purchased by an anonymous buyer for $179,365,000. Currently, the value of this work by Picasso is estimated at $250 million and is not on display or loan.

Boros Collection (Berlin)
Collectors: Karen and Christian Boros

When they started their collection, they were interested in emerging artists whose works were commonly avoid by established collectors. Now those artists are some of the most important names in the art world: Kris Martin, Olafur Eliasson, Klar Lidén, Roman Ondák, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Pamela Rosenkranz or Danh Vö. Art from the 1990’s to the present gave shape to a private collection exclusively focused in contemporary art, which nowadays is one of the most important collections according with ARTnews.

Having the Boros Collection as example, we can notice a significant aspect regarding the practice of collecting, which is the importance of taking risks. What 30 years ago was underestimated by the market, now is not only more valuable but also more significant in terms of historical and symbolic content.

Since 2008, the collection is exhibited in a German bunker originally occupied
by the Red Army in 1945 and then become in an experimental sex space.

Broad Art Museum / The Broad Foundation /
The Broad Art Foundation (Michigan / Los Angeles)
Collectors: Edythe and Eli Broad

They are known as the “Medici” of our time. Since the 1950’s, this 80-old-philanthropists have promoted and sponsored thousands of artists by collecting or commissioning their work. Their first art society, The Broad Foundation, is home of 2,000 pieces by more than 200 international artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol, among others. Although the collections is focused in postwar art, it is still growing with works by younger artists.

The Broad Foundation in Los Angeles also houses The Broad Art Foundation, which was founded in 1984 as pioneering contemporary art library and loan program. And if this isn’t enough, in 2017 Eli and Edythe Broad decided to open the Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. This space protect over 10,000 objects and pieces from Greek and Roman antiquities, to prints, photographs, paintings and sculptures from Africa, Asia and Latin America,

Coppel Collection (Culiacán / Mexico City)
Collectors: Agustin and Isabel Coppel

The importance of the Coppel Collection lies on the vast number or artworks by contemporary Mexican artists in its files. Including works by Damián Ortega, Carlos Amorales, Marcela Armas, Francis Alÿs, Gabriel Orozco, Jorge Méndez Blake, Melanie Smith, Iñaki Bonillas, among others, the collection is a sort of cartography of the artistic practice in Mexico since the 1990’s to the present.

Even without a physical space – gallery or museum – for exhibitions, the Collection has loan more than 100 pieces to different museums – around Mexico and the United States – for large exhibitions like Mexico: Expected / Unexpected, Implicaciones de la imagen, I’m a lie and I’m old but I shall never grow old, Dimensiones de la desobediencia, Blockbuster. Cine para exhibiciones, Rastros y vestigios, among others.

Espacio Tacuarí (San Telmo, Argentina)
Collectors: Juan Vergez and Patricia Pearson-Vergez

Considered as the leading private art collection in Argentina, it includes artworks by artist such as Tomás Saraceno, Mariela Scafati, Leandro Erlich, Monika Sosnowska, Ernesto Neto, Elmgreen & Dragset, Olafur Eliasson, among others. Juan Vergez and Patricia Pearson-Vergez has assembled a variety of works that offers an overview of contemporary art both in Argentina and South America. But also they’ve collected pieces by international artist in order to take the most iconic of contemporary art to the “end of the world”.

In 2016, the couple bought a former ink factory in San Telmo district in Buenos Aires to opened Espacio Tacuarí, a gallery to display their collection. They’ve also are patrons of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires and the arteBA Foundation.

Inhotim (Brumandinho, Minas Gerai, Brazil)
Collector: Bernardo Mello Paz

Bernardo Mello Paz has been considered one of the most important Latin American art collectors for years. Maybe he doesn’t own the best contemporary art collection in the region, but his project is one of a kind: Instituto Inhotim was conceived since the 80’s when he started an art collection gathering the work of 100 renowned Brazilian and international artists from 30 different countries. Over 1,300 works to date are housed in the Instituto, and 500 of them are displayed around the 140 hectare of forest and gardens in southern Brazil alongside a botanical garden.

In 2006 Inhotim opened to the public to exhibit the work of Cildo Meireles, Hélio Oiticica, Doris Salcedo, Matthew Barney, Doug Aitken, Olafur Eliasson,Paul McCarthy, Jorge Macchi and Chris Burden, among others.

The story of Inhotim and its founder is the kind of story someone would use as example to argue that contemporary art and art market are nothing except a mere business. Three years ago, Mello Paz was judged and sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison due to money laundering through Inhotim’s art collection. Is this enough reason to judge an entire art collection and foundation that has promotededucational, research and artistic projects?

Fosun Foundation (Shangai)
Collectors: Jenny Jinyuan Wang and Guo Guangchang

When the Fosun Foundation opened in 2016, the opening exhibition was devoted to local Chinese contemporary artists. The reason: its collection is made up by paintings, sculptures, videos, sound works, interactive and media installations that offers a general overview of the development of Chinese contemporary art in the last 30 years.

The Foundation is located in an extraordinary building design by Foster + Partners and Thomas Heatherwick. Along its four flours are displayed temporary exhibitions with works by Chinese and international artists such as Zhan Ging, Li Shan, Yang Fudong, Xu Zhen, Julian Opie, Yves Netzhammer, Cindy Sherman, Mariko Mori and Yayoi Kusama.

Garage Museum (Moscow)
Collector: Dasha Zhukova

According with the famous Top 200 art collectors list by ARTnews, Russian business woman Dasha Zhukova leading the art world as the most important contemporary art collector. She and her former husband, Roman Abramovich, founded in 2008 the first philanthropic art institution in Russia named the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, which main objective was to create a comprehensive public and educational program for all kind of publics interested in art. Since 2014, the space changed its
name to Garage Museum in order to receive the Zhukova’s collection.

Artists like Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Monika Sosnowska, Tomás Saraceno, Allora & Calzadilla, Anri Sala, Damián Ortega, Irina Korina, Ugo Rondinone, Yin Xiuzhen, Taryn Simon, Rirkrit Tiravanija, John Baldessari, Philippe Parreno and Christian Marclay, among others, are part of this important artistic heritage of the Garage Museum. The Art projects Foundation is also located in this place with physical and digital archive material to be consult. As part of this, Garage launched in 2017 the Russian Art rchive Network (RAA), which is the greatest catalogue of physical and digital archive and documents on the history of Russian contemporary art.

Jumex Foundation / Museo Jumex (Mexico City)
Collector: Eugenio López Alonso

Eugenio López has built the most important contemporary art collection in Latin America and also one of the most important art foundation in Mexico. The Jumex Foundation was founded in 2001 with the aim to promote contemporary Mexican art. It was originally located in a 14,000 square metres gallery at Ecatepec, Estado de México, which is a popular neighborhood known for its high-levels of violence.In this context, the Jumex Foundation started an educational and public program addressed to the community. Over 19 years, the foundation has support thousands of projects focused in artistic production, research, publishing and education. It also started the first contemporary art library in Mexico with over 3000 titles.

The Jumex Collection includes works by both Mexican and international artists such as Francis Alÿs, Minerva Cuevas, Eduardo Abaroa, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Gabriel Orozco, Mike Kelley, James Lee Byars, Iñaki Bonillas, Dan Graham, David Weiss and Peter Fischli, Sterling Ruby, Vito Acconci, Andy Warhol, Doug Aitken, Damián Ortega, Paul McCarthy, among others. Since 2013 the collection is housed in the Jumex Museum, located in a building designed by David Chipperfield.

Pinault Collection – Palazzo Grassi / Punta della Dogana (Venice)
Collector: Francois Pinault

Francois Pinault’s collection is valued in $1.4 billion. It includes over 2,000 pieces from the star artists of contemporary art: Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly, Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter, Cindy Sherman, Takashi Murakami, among others.

The French businessman started his collection in late 80’s, but it was until 2006 that he started thinking in turn his archive into a large-scale cultural project. Since then, his foundation is focused in three main axes: presenting exhibitions in his venues, in other institutions and supporting and encouraging up-and-coming artists and art historians.

The Pinault Collection is situated in two buildings in Venice, both of them rehabilitated by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando: Palazzo Grassi (2006) and Punta della Dogana (2009). But as two exhibition space aren’t enough, a new museum will open in Paris by June 2020. Beside his collection, Pinault is also a very important sponsor. He founded a residency program for artists in Lille, the Pierre Daix Price to award an exceptional study of modern or contemporary art, and in 2019 was involved with the restoration of the Victor Hugo’s house in Guernsey.

Zabludowicz Collection (London, New York and Loviisa, Finland)
Collectors: Poju and Anita Zabludowicz

The Zabludowicz Collection started in 1994 as a comprehensive project. The purposes behind buying works of art were clearly set-up since the very beginning with the first work collected, a small piece by British painter Ben Nicholson. For Poju and Anita Zabludowicz, once you’ve started collecting art you get a commitment with the society and even with history. That’s why they decided to carry out an extensive program to support and sponsor art fairs, international residencies for artists, exhibitions and events free for all audiences, and the renewal of different spaces. They are even patrons of the Tate and they also were involved with Whitechapel Gallery reopening in a renovated building.

The Zabludowicz Collection is made up by over 3000 works of art by artist like Ed Atkins, Allora & Calzadilla, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Andreas Gursky, Pierre Huyghe, On Kawara, Sarah Lucas, Amalia Pica, Elizabeth Price, Pipilotti Rist, Anri Sala, Melanie Smith and Ryan Trecartin, among others.

There are two venues in London and New York that serves both as house of the collection and exhibition spaces, and a third one in the Finland city of Loviisa which serves as workshop and residencies for artists

Anotación núm. 6, 2019, 120 × 101 cm, Acrilyc painting

The rationalist dream vanishes: play to encounter the fortuitous; risk to meet the accident. Chances are a source to explore and discover, not to judge if something is right or wrong. It is an affirmation of life more than an effort to restore chaos. To introduce chance in art is to deny intentionalism and full control power, replacing that with the openness of permanent experimenting the work and with the work as somehow being open to unpredictable effects. An aesthetic of immanence in which the only constant is to change. It is creating without a defined aim and method by accepting that the only thing that belongs us, are our mistakes.

Joshua wanted to draw. But not in the traditional way. He took the pencil, usual – ly identified as drawing medium, but he decided to use it without paper and instead devastating the pencils.

Experience is not what it happens to you, but what you do with it said Aldous Huxley. Conversion is more important than the event itself and interacting with it opens the window of opportunities. Experience in this regard challenges the experiencer, who is invited to take responsibility in an active way. Be aware. It is about understanding the chances, while you have your eyes wide open. Chances may occur in random ways, without announcement, method or causality. Can we accept that some things happen in mysterious ways? His openness to encounter in fortuitous ways things that will be transformed into aesthetical objects is his signature. Following Huxley, what he does with his experience is finding alternative visions, the way out will have to be found. He does it from a very ludic attitude. While playing with reality, he discovers. Taking the given as a game allows him to find alternatives. Life is never finished. It is also not so serious. Encounters happen in a natural way and Joshua Jobb simply intervenes them.

Joshua Jobb is a Mexican visual artist, born on 1984. He was part of SOMA’s Academic
Program and Summer SOMA.

Paisaje viruta, núm. 2

Paisaje Viruta No 3,
Opposite page: Paisaje Viruta No 3, detail

In capitalistic terms, time is money, in the sense that time is equal to work, to produce. Already the Greeks, identified the time division based on labor, and Hesiod’s opera prima, “Works and days” is an example of it. Leisure remained a privilege of the reach, until the appearance of the middle classes, who paradoxically pay for fun, joy and resting from work. Doing something without aim, and spending time, doing nothing is therefore wasting time. “No hay espacio para bordar”, displays a sculptural assemblage consistent in the spirit of removing functionality out of the objects, to create. “There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear”, John Cage dixit. The sculpture is a wood composition, made of embroideries that through their juxtaposition make the space visible. They set limits to the emptiness with the wood confines. Looking almost like a mobile when hanging in the wall, the connection of the 6 rings create a game of shadows and intersection points forming different geometrical shapes in which the extension is visible in different scales. Look in!

In the beginning, or perhaps
Close to where something began
There were probably only
Things

Jimmie Durham,
Not the Point

Accepting the unpredictable is dealing with the risk , with the fact that all can go in a different way. But if anything, that is the only aim. What follows, I asked Joshua, for his next work. Going out, walking again, randomly…

Performance Art:
Collecting Ephemerality

by Mariel Vela