BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Venke & Rolf Hoff

KaviarFactory – Lofoten, Norway

Ryszard Warsinski, ’Untitled’, 1965-1975. Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen – © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017
Ryszard Warsinski, ’Untitled’, 1965-1975. Photo: Øystein Thorvaldsen – © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017

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

It was at the beginning of 1970 when I was still a teenager. They were prints by a Norwegian artist.

Why do you collect?

That’s a very good question – and I do not know! In a way I have always been collecting. It must run through veins. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and their walls were crowded with art, antique furniture and lots of different old interesting “things”. I have also been collecting stamps, coins, antique Norwegian furniture, ancient Spanish candlesticks, but what I love most about collecting is the “hunt”. Looking, traveling and searching for a piece. Now my wife and I are almost only collecting contemporary art. After realizing that I am getting older, I find that art keeps me younger – it keeps me going, it challenges me and it gives me a lot of energy. A good excuse to continue collecting, I think. Wouldn’t you agree?

Bjarne Melgaard with Bob Recine,  ’Untitled’, 2015. Photo: Thaddeus Ropac – © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017
Bjarne Melgaard with Bob Recine,  ’Untitled’, 2015. Photo: Thaddeus Ropac – © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017
Marguerite Humeau, ’Black Mamba Venon Yellow’, 2015. Photo: Duve Gallery
Marguerite Humeau, ’Black Mamba Venon Yellow’, 2015. Photo: Duve Gallery

Does your collection follow a concept or a specific theme?

No it does not. It has always been spontaneous. However, if I am looking back and see through all works and artists, there is some sort of line, but I never think about this when purchasing a work. What grabs me is the “thing” – these “things” are not always very conventional and that is why I stick to contemporary art.

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

Yes, we do have a personal relation with many of the artists. Some are also good friends with our two kids as they grew up with a lot of these artists around the kitchen table.

Why did you decide to make your collection publicly accessible?

We never really meant for it to happen – it just happened. We bought an old kaviar factory in Lofoten, behind the Artic circle about seven years ago. Just to save this building, as this space is very far from Oslo, about a two day drive. In this area of Norway there is almost no contemporary art of high quality, so part of the crazy idea was to show and “teach” the population in this area about contemporary art and what is going on around the world, outside of this part of Norway. Every autumn my wife Venke looks after, speaks and shows around about 400-500 students from the local schools around Lofoten. This is really fantastic. We also make one exhibition a year where the whole family is included.

Oleg Dou, ’Pregnant’, 2016. Courtesy the artist
Oleg Dou, ’Pregnant’, 2016. Courtesy the artist

Which publicly accessible private collection would you recommend visiting?

“La Fabrique”, Josee & Marc Gensollen Collection, Marseille. It's a very personal collection and they are a great couple. Real art lovers lead by their heart!

All images courtesy KaviarFactory, Lofoten

More Information on KaviarFactory

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

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