BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Franks Suss Collection

A Duo Investing in Artists and Not Cashing In – Hong Kong, London and Sydney

Bae Joonsung, "The Costume of Painter - Vermeer 050330", 2006
Bae Joonsung, "The Costume of Painter - Vermeer 050330", 2006

The Franks-Suss Collection was founded in 2001 to discover and support a new generation of artists from emerging economies. Initially focused on China, collectors Simon Franks and Robert Suss soon widened their purview, with the help of curators Eli Zagury and Tamar Arnon. Nearly 1 000 works now fill the collection’s outposts in London, New York, and Hong Kong. Those include established names like Jonas Wood and Zeng Fanzhi, who they began collecting long before either made it big. More recent acquisitions include works by Hannah Perry, Diana Al-Hadid, and Zhai Liang. Despite their prescient track record, the two have collected in direct opposition to the art-as-an-asset-class trend, working closely with the artists on shows, at their residences, like a 2009 exhibition of highlights at Franks's Hampstead home, or at institutional spaces like the Saatchi Gallery.

Ruud van Empel, "World no 19", 2006
Ruud van Empel, "World no 19", 2006
Nadav Kandar, " Yangtze, The Long River: Chongqing VI (Sunday Afternoon), Chongqing Municipality", 2006.
Nadav Kandar, " Yangtze, The Long River: Chongqing VI (Sunday Afternoon), Chongqing Municipality", 2006.
The Suss home. Photo: Simone Suss
The Suss home. Photo: Simone Suss
Jose Davila, "Topologies of Light I (DF)", 2012
Jose Davila, "Topologies of Light I (DF)", 2012
The Suss home. Photo: Simone Suss
The Suss home. Photo: Simone Suss
Toyin Ojih Odutola, "LTS III", 2014. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Copyright Toyin Ojih Odutola
Toyin Ojih Odutola, "LTS III", 2014. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Copyright Toyin Ojih Odutola

Alexander Forbes is a New York based art writer and critic, currently serving as Artsy’s Deputy Editor. Prior to relocating to New York, Alexander was based in Berlin as the European Editor for artnet and German Bureau Chief for Louise Blouin Media.

All images courtesy the Franks-Suss Collection

More Information on Franks Suss Collection

Yonamine, "Once you go black you never go back", 2013
Yonamine, "Once you go black you never go back", 2013
Steve Bishop, "Her", 2007/2008
Steve Bishop, "Her", 2007/2008
The Suss home. Photo: Simone Suss
The Suss home. Photo: Simone Suss