BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Anita Zabludowicz

Zabludowicz Collection – London, United Kingdom

Anita Zabludowicz. Courtesy Zabludowicz Collection. Photo: David Bebber
Anita Zabludowicz. Courtesy Zabludowicz Collection. Photo: David Bebber

What was the first piece of artwork you purchased, and when was this?

The first artwork I ever purchased was a Ben Nicholson painting from 1947. I purchased it at a Sotheby’s auction in 1994. Even after four years of research, I was still so nervous that I actually bid against myself. To this day it is part of our collection in our home - we rearrange all our artworks every year, but this one always stays. It is utterly timeless and works with every hanging we have done.

Why do you collect?

At its heart our collection is a philanthropic endeavor. We buy art because we believe it is essential to society and that all types of creativity need support not just those that reach six-figure sums at an auction. There are many strands to the collection - we have no secret formula by which we buy art but our passion is to find unknown artists who are creating something original.

Signe Pierce, VORTEXTUALITY, 2019, Installation View, Zabludowicz Collection, London. Photo: Tim Bowditch
Signe Pierce, VORTEXTUALITY, 2019, Installation View, Zabludowicz Collection, London. Photo: Tim Bowditch

Does your collection follow a concept or a specific theme?

My collecting style has certainly evolved throughout the years. At the start it was very pure and I concentrated only on photography but soon I got distracted and started looking at video art, painting and sculpture. From this moment on I became interested in conceptual practices. I think about art in all different ways and usually ask myself: Have I ever seen anything like this before? Do I feel moved or excited? Why does this piece fascinate me? Would this be a good addition to the collection? Why is this work so popular with other collectors? These are the questions I ask myself before buying art and which ultimately lead to the development of my collection. Very rarely I instantly fall in love with a piece, simply thinking “This is genius!”.

Shana Moulton (with Nick Hallett), Whispering Pines 10, 2018 (still). Courtesy the artist & Galerie Gregor Staiger, Zurich⁠
Shana Moulton (with Nick Hallett), Whispering Pines 10, 2018 (still). Courtesy the artist & Galerie Gregor Staiger, Zurich⁠
Installation view: Rachel Maclean, Zabludowicz Collection, London. I’m Terribly Sorry, 2018. Virtual reality installation. Produced in collaboration with Werkflow. Commissioned in partnership with Arsenal Contemporary. Courtesy the artist and Zabludowicz Collection. Photo: David Bebber
Installation view: Rachel Maclean, Zabludowicz Collection, London. I’m Terribly Sorry, 2018. Virtual reality installation. Produced in collaboration with Werkflow. Commissioned in partnership with Arsenal Contemporary. Courtesy the artist and Zabludowicz Collection. Photo: David Bebber

Who are the artists you are currently following?

I could give you a very long list! We have an exhibition program called “Invites” where we show younger UK-based artists who are not represented by a gallery yet. This way we are giving young artists a chance to set up their first solo show at an early but very important point of their career. Hannah Perry, Heather Phillipson, and Rachel MacLean are some of the artists we have worked with. In England we have some very successful emerging artists such as Matthew Darbyshire, Laura Buckley, Eddie Peake, Haroon Mirza, Ed Atkins and Jack Strange to name some of my favourites. Of course I still continue to follow artists I started out with – Michael Landy, Keith Tyson, Gillian Wearing and others from the 1990s YBA generation. We collect thoughtfully and throughout the years formed friendships with some artists. I work full time in the art world and it obviously affects my private life, too. Everyday artists and their works enriched my life, helping me to see things more broadly.

Donna Huanca, MELANOCYTES/ETHERIC LAYER, performance view, Zabludowicz Collection, London, 2016. Photo: Thierry Bal
Donna Huanca, MELANOCYTES/ETHERIC LAYER, performance view, Zabludowicz Collection, London, 2016. Photo: Thierry Bal
Zabludowicz Collection, London. Photo: Thierry Bal
Zabludowicz Collection, London. Photo: Thierry Bal

Why did you decide to make your collection publicly accessible?

I think art needs an audience, especially when artists are still working out what they are trying to do and say. It is then that the most interesting conversations take place between the artist, the work and the people who come to see it.

Which publicly accessible private collection would you recommend visiting?

I always visit the Rubell Family Collection and the de la Cruz Collection in Miami. In London, the David Roberts Art Foundation is a very interesting private art space - although the collection is not always on display.

All images courtesy Zabludowicz Collection

Installation view Jon Rafman, 2015 at Zabludowicz Collection, London. Photo: Thierry Bal
Installation view Jon Rafman, 2015 at Zabludowicz Collection, London. Photo: Thierry Bal

More Information on Zabludowicz Collection

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

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