BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Ines Musumeci Greco

Casa Musumeci Greco – Rome, Italy

Ines Musumeci Greco
Ines Musumeci Greco

When exactly did you buy your first contemporary artwork? Was this entwined with a conscious decision to be a “collector”?

I bought my first artwork in 1979. Indeed, to be more precise about the number, they were 10 artworks, a series of jellies by Mario Schifano. I met the artist by accident. He invited me to visit his studio, and I immediately fell in love with his works. At the time, I was already passionate about contemporary art but meeting with Mario Schifano was very significant for me. After this meeting, I started my collection.

Does your collection, Casa Musumeci Greco, follow a specific theme or particular artists?

My collection follows my heart. I have always shared my choices with my husband Giuliano. Although many times it was the opposite, it was he who asked me if I was interested in something. This was the case with artworks by Gendel Geers, Luigi Ontani, and Graham Hudson.

You open your private palazzo apartment for appointment visits, how has the way that you inhabit your own living space changed since doing this?

For me, it was a very spontaneous decision to open my house about 25 years ago. I wanted to share my choices with friends, to bring them closer to contemporary art, in a different way than in museums, where there is often a distance created between the viewer and the artwork. My way of living in my house has not changed very much. I have always thought that the house had to be tailor-made by the owner. For this reason I live in my home constantly surrounded by the artworks, objects, and people that I love.

What has been the most challenging work of art in your collection, either for yourself or the public?

A good question that is difficult to answer. I believe that the strongest and most symbolic artwork in my collection is The Chorus by Marina Abramovic. Other challenging works are the artwork by Graham Hudson, that I previously mentioned, for its size (it’s very big!) or a very heavy vehicle by Gianni Piacentino, actually installed above my bed. Also, Maurizio Mochetti's airplane and Luigi Ontani's Nuvolari are very significant for me.

In general do you visit online viewing rooms or is your decision to buy a piece of art, strongly intertwined with the physical?

For me it’s absolutely essential to visit the artist's studio and see the artworks in real life. Web modality is not for me. So, for this reason I usually schedule an appointment with the artist or the gallerist to see the works. To feel the emotion of a work is fundamental.

What would you like to see as a shift in a post-Covid Art World?

I think that this moment in time acts as a message to better understand the meaning of life. From this point of view, I wish for artistic projects full of meaning or “sense.” We cannot go on without considering this crucial historical moment. We cannot forget that art is also a dream and aesthetic manifestation.

What is a beautiful moment from Casa Musumeci Greco, or your life as a collector that you would like to share with us?

Only one? It's very difficult for me to choose only one. There have been so many beautiful moments over the years. I remember with great affection a meeting with Araki. I had organized a dinner at my house after one of his performances at Calcografia Nazionale. During the dinner, he spontaneously and generously started photographing all the guests with a Polaroid camera. It was so fun, and yet such a sincere moment.

Which publicly accessible private collections would you recommend visiting?

Over the years, I have visited many collections, as you can imagine. If I had to suggest one, I really would recommend Berlingieri Collection in Basilicata.

Casa Musumeci Greco, main living room. Photo: Giovanni De Angelis
Casa Musumeci Greco, main living room. Photo: Giovanni De Angelis

Collectors (77)

Narda van 't Veer

The Narda van 't Veer Collection – Monnickendam, Netherlands

Rashid Al Khalifa

RAK ART FOUNDATION – Riffa, Bahrain

Olivier Chow

The Olivier Chow Collection – Lausanne, Switzerland

Valeria Napoleone

Valeria and Gregorio Napoleone Collection – London, UK

Matteo Novarese

SOF:ART – Bologna, Italy

Martin Steppacher

Gallery Durchgang – Basel, Switzerland

Carmelo Graci

Graci Collection – Mantova, Italy

Dr. William Lim

Living Collection – Hong Kong

NICOLA ERNI

Nicola Erni Collection – Steinhausen, Switzerland

Lukas Jakob

Jakob Collection – Gundelfingen, Germany

Claus Busch Risvig

Bech Risvig Collection – Silkeborg, Denmark

Joseph Awuah-Darko

The Terra Collection Of African Contemporary Art – Accra, Ghana | London, UK

INGRID AND THOMAS JOCHHEIM

Ingrid and Thomas Jochheim Collection – Berlin, Germany

Michał Borowik

Michał Borowik Collection – Warsaw, Poland

Bernardo Paz

Instituto Inhotim – Centro de Arte Contemporânea e Jardim Botânico – Brumadinho, Brazil

Tony Salamé

Aïshti Foundation – Beirut, Lebanon

Nadia & Rajeeb Samdani

Samdani Art Foundation (SAF), Dhaka, Bangladesh

Lord David Cholmondeley

Houghton Hall – King's Lynn, Great Britain

Galila Barzilaï-Hollander

Galila's P.O.C., Brussels, Belgium

Martin Margulies

The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse – Miami, United States of America

Christine and Andrew Hall

Hall Art Foundation - Reading, USA & Derneburg, Germany

Qiao Zhibing

TANK Shanghai and Qiao Space - Shanghai, China

Christen Sveaas

Kistefos Museet, Jevnaker, Norway

Noemi Givon

Givon Art Forum – Tel Aviv, Israel

Michael Buxton

Buxton Contemporary - Melbourne, Australia

Seth Stolbun

The Stolbun Collection – Houston, USA

Jochen Zeitz

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) - Cape Town, Africa

Dominique & Sylvain Levy

DSLCollection – Paris, France

Andrea von Goetz

Sammlung Blankenburg – Hamburg, Germany

Gordon Elliott

The Elliott Eyes Collection - Sydney, Australia

The Vague Space

Christian Kaspar Schwarm on the first solo presentation of his collection at the Weserburg Bremen

Anita Zabludowicz

Zabludowicz Collection – London, United Kingdom

Anastasios A. Gkekas

The Office Collection - Nicosia, Cyprus

Rik Reinking

WAI - Woods Art Institute, Wentorf bei Hamburg, Germany

Maria Didrichsen

Didrichsen Art Museum – Helsinki, Finland

João Carlos de Figueiredo Ferraz

Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz (IFF) - São Paulo, Brazil

Julia Stoschek

Julia Stoschek Collection – Dusseldorf, Germany

Maurizio Morra Greco

Fondazione Morra Greco, Naples, Italy

Christian & Karen Boros

Sammlung Boros – Berlin, Germany

Timo Miettinen

Salon Dahlmann – Berlin, Germany

Marli Hoppe-Ritter

Sammlung Marli Hoppe-Ritter – Waldenbuch, Germany

Désiré Feuerle

The Feuerle Collection – Berlin, Germany

Gudrun & Bernd Wurlitzer

Wurlitzer Pied A Terre Collection – Berlin, Germany

Corbett Lyon

Lyon Housemuseum – Melbourne, Australia

Geert Verbeke-Lens

Verbeke Foundation – Kemzeke, Belgium

László Vass

Vass Collection – Veszprém, Hungary

Daisuke Miyatsu

Dream House – Ichikawa, Japan

Samara Walbohm & Joe Shlesinger

Scrap Metal Gallery – Toronto, Canada

Charles Riva

Charles Riva Collection – Brussels, Belgium

Venke & Rolf Hoff

KaviarFactory – Lofoten, Norway

Alain Servais

Servais Family Collection – Brussels, Belgium

Ivo Wessel

Sammlung Ivo Wessel - Berlin, Germany

Ramin Salsali

Salsali Private Museum – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Vittorio Gaddi

Collezione Nunzia e Vittorio Gaddi – Lucca, Italy

Miguel Leal Rios

Fundação Leal Rios – Lisbon, Portugal

Gertraud and Dieter Bogner

Kunstraum Buchberg – Gars am Kamp, Austria

Bob Rennie

Rennie Collection at Wing Sang – Vancouver, Canada

Heiner Wemhöner

Sammlung Wemhöner – Herford, Germany

Lin Han

M WOODS – Beijing, China

Kenny Goss

The Goss-Michael Foundation – Dallas, USA

Karsten Schmitz

Arbeitswohnung Federkiel – Leipzig, Germany

Devon Dikeou

The Dikeou Collection - Denver, USA

Thomas Olbricht

ME Collectors Room Berlin/Stiftung Olbricht – Berlin, Germany

Mera & Donald Rubell

Rubell Family Collection – Miami, USA

Pétur Arason

Safn – Berlin, Germany / Reykjavík, Iceland

Steffen Hildebrand

G2 Kunsthalle – Leipzig, Germany

Frédéric de Goldschmidt

Frédéric de Goldschmidt – Brussels, Belgium

Daniel Teo

The Private Museum – Singapore, Singapore

Claudio Cosma

Sensus – Luoghi per l’arte Contemporanea – Florence, Italy

Michał Borowik

Michał Borowik Collection – Warsaw, Poland

Herbert Gerisch

Herbert-Gerisch-Stiftung - Neumünster, Germany

José Berardo

Museu Coleção Berardo – Lisbon, Portugal

Bärbel Grässlin and Karola Kraus

Sammlung Grässlin - St. Georgen, Germany

Joëlle and Eric Romba

Rocca Stiftung – Berlin, Germany

Myriam and Amaury de Solages

Maison Particulière – Brussels, Belgium

Friedrich Gräfling

Sammlung Fiede - Aschaffenburg, Germany