BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Joëlle and Eric Romba

Rocca Stiftung – Berlin, Germany

Joëlle and Eric Romba
Joëlle and Eric Romba

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

We met in Berlin in 2002. A friend of ours thought we might be a match because we were both interested in art. Joëlle was living in Cologne at that time and on her visits to Berlin we checked out a lot of galleries. Six weeks after our first encounter we decided to buy our first artwork. We discovered Julien Michel at Galerie Mehdi Chouakri; he was a French artist and photorealistic painter. The title of the work is "La femme a qui ride". It´s now hanging in Eric´s office. Unfortunately Julien died a couple of years ago.

Why do you collect?

Visuality was the beginning. We bought art due to its attraction. Joëlle is a trained art historian and was already part of the art community. Together we developed and enjoyed a deeper insight in the arts and the international art world. On our trips to art fairs around the world, we got to know a lot of galleries, artists, curators, museum people and of course other collectors. We built up nice relations and we made connections worldwide. The discussions about art and cultural history were very thrilling and night filing. And of course the desire to own a work, desperate to have it and in an economic way make irrational decisions. It started as a visual thing and it is now a state of mind.

View on an artwork by Philippe Decreuzat
View on an artwork by Philippe Decreuzat
View into the living room with works by Felix Kiessling and Charlotte Posenenske
View into the living room with works by Felix Kiessling and Charlotte Posenenske

Does your collection follow a concept or a specific theme?

At the beginning we bought what we liked. Later when we established our foundation we sat down to categorize our works. Five topics are represented in our collection: photorealistic painting, contemporary Op Art, the search of identity in photography, examination of architecture in art, art historical archetypes in todays artistic production.

Which artists do you follow at the moment?

Matti Braun, Leigh Ledare, Ignacio Uriarte, Noa Gur, Jeroen Jacobs, Charlotte Posenenske, Daniel Lergon, Gitte Schäfer, Philippe Decreuzat, Leonor Antunes, Eva Berendes, Haleh Redjaian, Slawomir Elsner and many more.

Do you have a personal relationship with the artists you collect?

Sometimes. Their oeuvre is crucial for us. We are always open to getting to know the artists personally and they are warmly invited to see their work(s) at our home.

Why did you decide to make your collection publicly accessible?

Art is produced to be looked at by as many people as possible. We are happy to share our private selection of art with as many people as possible. At a certain point your collection gets to a size where the logistic effort exceeds and is far away from a hobby. Then you need to decide if you become a serious collector or just let it flow.

Which publicly accessible private collection would you recommend visiting?

In Berlin we recommend to see Sammlung Hoffmann, Sammlung Boros and Haubrokprojects. In Munich Sammlung Goetz. The Langen Foundation in Hombroich and Sammlung Falckenberg in Hamburg are also musts for all art aficionados.

All images via Rocca Stiftung

More Information on Rocca Stiftung

Collectors (77)

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Olivier Chow

The Olivier Chow Collection – Lausanne, Switzerland

Valeria Napoleone

Valeria and Gregorio Napoleone Collection – London, UK

Matteo Novarese

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Martin Steppacher

Gallery Durchgang – Basel, Switzerland

Carmelo Graci

Graci Collection – Mantova, Italy

Dr. William Lim

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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

Myriam and Amaury de Solages

Maison Particulière – Brussels, Belgium

Friedrich Gräfling

Sammlung Fiede - Aschaffenburg, Germany