BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Martin Margulies

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

Martin Margulies. Photo: Jon Lowe
Martin Margulies. Photo: Jon Lowe

How important is having the title of “collector” to you?

Titles in the art world are not important. The roll of the collector is to put the art first. It’s important to support young artists when they are vulnerable, educate young people and be respectful to all the gallerists and dealers and journeymen who make the art world possible. The most important title to me is father to my four children.

Does your collection, The Margulies Collection, follow a specific theme or particular artists?

No, we don’t follow a specific theme, although in terms of time period, we don’t venture back further than the early 20th century. The most important consideration to follow when acquiring is that new work fit into the established rhythm of the collection. There are some artists that we collect in depth such as Joan Miró, Isamu Noguchi, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, George Segal, John Chamberlain, Olafur Eliasson, Anselm Kiefer and Magdalena Abakanowicz.

The collection has been overseen by curator Katherine Hinds since the 1980s, how did this come about at that time, when nowadays there is so much value placed on curating?

Katherine Hinds has helped the collection grow and has been instrumental in opening the collection to the public. She organizes the exhibitions at the Warehouse and has developed our educational programming.

Pre-pandemic, were you traveling frequently for the purpose of following the art world?

Yes, we look forward to traveling again, especially to Europe.

Have you been actively visiting online viewing rooms during this crisis or is your decision to buy a piece of art strongly intertwined with physicality?

Yes, we visit all the online viewing rooms to most of the Fairs and we have made some nice acquisitions. We felt it was important to support the galleries through this period. I would strongly urge the designers of these online viewing rooms to simplify the format and not to go overboard with all the technical hype and marketing add-ons. Collectors are interested in one thing, the art. Present the art clearly, quickly and succinctly without a lot of superfluous, unnecessary jargon. Don’t crowd the art.

What would you like to see shift in the Art World post pandemic?

As a response to the pandemic, we organized a major gift of contemporary art to national and local non-profit organizations. We selected the organizations to support based on their mission to promote, exhibit and support the work of living artists. We have a long history of philanthropy in the visual arts, but for this gift we focused on arts organizations who offer much needed support to artists in the crucial points in their careers, when the need for support and exposure is so critical.

Anselm Kiefer, Sprache der Vögel, 1989, lead, steel, wood, oil, plaster, resin and acrylic. Collection Martin Z. Margulies
Anselm Kiefer, Sprache der Vögel, 1989, lead, steel, wood, oil, plaster, resin and acrylic. Collection Martin Z. Margulies
Jannis Kounellis, Without Title, 1960, mixed media on paper laid down on canvas. Collection Martin Z. Margulies
Jannis Kounellis, Without Title, 1960, mixed media on paper laid down on canvas. Collection Martin Z. Margulies

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

Most challenging for the collection is the annual Art Basel/Miami Beach week in December. We enjoy having the influx of the international art world with all the crowds and events, but it is wonderful when it is finally over.

What is a beautiful moment from The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, or your life as a collector that you would like to share with us?

The friendships with all the artists we have worked with over the years is what comes to mind. We cherish the working relationships with artists who travel here from all over the world to install their work at the Warehouse. It is an honor to collaborate in the artistic process with the brilliant and creative minds of artists like: Ernesto Neto, Do Ho Suh, Anselm Kiefer, Isamu Noguchi, Susan Philipsz, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Song Dong, Isaac Julien, Olafur Eliasson, and many more.

Which publicly accessible private collections would you recommend visiting?

In Miami, the De la Cruz Collection is a wonderful experience. In New York, Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring is excellent, as is Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland. We also recommend The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island City. It houses the artists’ personal holdings in a beautiful setting.

The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Photography Study Center Salon Wall featuring 213 works of vintage and contemporary photography hung salon-style, corner to corner and floor to ceiling in the renovated storage area.
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Photography Study Center Salon Wall featuring 213 works of vintage and contemporary photography hung salon-style, corner to corner and floor to ceiling in the renovated storage area.

Images courtesy The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse

More Information on Margulies Collection

Collectors (77)

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Valeria Napoleone

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Matteo Novarese

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Martin Steppacher

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Carmelo Graci

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Dr. William Lim

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NICOLA ERNI

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Lukas Jakob

Jakob Collection – Gundelfingen, Germany

Claus Busch Risvig

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Joseph Awuah-Darko

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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

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Lord David Cholmondeley

Houghton Hall – King's Lynn, Great Britain

Galila Barzilaï-Hollander

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

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

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Seth Stolbun

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Jochen Zeitz

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Dominique & Sylvain Levy

DSLCollection – Paris, France

Andrea von Goetz

Sammlung Blankenburg – Hamburg, Germany

Gordon Elliott

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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