The Collector's Corner

Every gallery show has one: the text on the wall, or the sheet you pick up at the door, that is meant to help you understand the artwork. But how often does it actually do that? In this Behind The Mic episode, I talk about my complicated relationship with show texts, the validation I've been looking for in them, why they so often don't deliver it, and the afternoon at a Berlin gallery when one tex...

The collector experience doesn't exist in isolation: it's shaped by the infrastructure around it, the web connecting artists to galleries, galleries to new audiences, and new audiences to the work. The problem is, that infrastructure has gaps. Ade Sanusi, founder of Art Meets Culture ( @artmeetsculture ), has spent years identifying where it fails and building his own answer to it. Through events,...

In this episode, I continue my exploration of art advisory with Prisca Pan , founder of Unframd . Based in the US, Prisca works with clients from tech, law, and finance and puts strategy and financial thinking explicitly at the centre of her practice, which I hadn't come across yet and therefore truly caught my attention. Her mission is to get more people collecting while understanding art as an a...

I never seriously considered working with an art advisor. To me, 'having an advisor' was something for people with a lot of means and experience - ironically, those who might need it least. Tackling that limiting belief was one of the reasons I started interviewing art advisors, alongside understanding what they actually do. Following my last episode with a Paris-based collector/advisor duo, I'm c...

I’ve always been intrigued by art advisors. Who are they, what do they do, why and how does one become one and what is their role in the ecosystem? I’ve encountered multiple and they all seem to define their work in a very unique way. So in an attempt to get my questions answered I decided to do a joint interview, an art collector and their advisor. Back in Paris I sat down with Régis Decour - an...

If there’s one thing I’m learning with this podcast is that there is no single or right way to collect. So speaking with Liza Shapiro ( @lizashapiro ) and Georgia Powell ( @georgiabethpowell ), the founders of CURA Art ( @cura_art_ ), I was excited to get a bit more of a meta view on the topic. Since 2019, they've worked with a broad variety of private and corporate collectors between London and L...

I tried to buy an artwork I loved. The gallery had been warm, responsive, helpful but then I made an offer, and heard nothing back. No explanation. Just silence. In this Behind The Mic episode, I unpack what actually happened, what I didn't understand about how galleries work, and why that silence - frustrating as it felt at the time - turned out to be one of the most useful things that's happened...

Daniela Bianco ( @theblondeartdealer ) has spent her career at the heart of the commercial art world: 15 years in galleries, followed by a few years at Artsy in private sales, and she is now Chief Sales Officer at art tech company Artscapy , a platform designed to simplify art collecting, management and investing for collectors. She has curated selling exhibitions in London, Milan and Brussels, an...

Today I am speaking with long time ultra-contemporary art collector, curator, author and entrepreneur Sonia Borrell ( @soniabblondon ). Originally from Barcelona, Sonia was drawn to art since childhood but trained to become a lawyer to meet family expectations. Upon moving to London after graduation, she immersed herself in the local art scene and quickly left law behind. She started her collectio...

Today I’m speaking with collector couple Julia Lammer ( @julammer ) and Nico Epstein ( @nicoknowsart_ ). Together they run arbulu studio , working with art world stakeholders across the spectrum to help them achieve positive and lasting impact. They come from complementary sides of the art world: Julia from museums, strategic planning and philanthropy, and Nico from art advisory, curatorial and ed...

In today's episode I am speaking with Chimere Cissé, founder of art consultancy  Art Korero , co-founder of  Stella Alliance  and, of course, contemporary art collector.  Chimere started her career in luxury fashion and media but growing up in a home filled with antiquities, she early on developed an interest in art. She shares insights into her personal journey as a collector, always staying true...

Today, I’m back in Berlin to speak with Manuel Koch ( @kunstinvestments ) - financial journalist, entrepreneur running the financial media platform Inside Wirtschaft , salon host at Salon Schinkelplatz , and one of the most visible figures in Germany’s ultra-contemporary art scene. Manuel only began collecting around five years ago, but in that short time he has become a real fixture. Alongside hi...

In this first episode of 2026 I am speaking with the wonderful Carrie Scott ( @carriescottcurates ). Carrie is an American/English curator and art historian who started her career in Seattle 16 years ago, and has worked with many galleries, businesses, collectors and artists worldwide through her practice, Carrie Scott & Partners . In 2024, Carrie also launched Seen - a next generation art con...

In this first episode of The Collector's Corner, I am speaking with Dr. Corina Krawinkel about her collecting journey. A dentist by background who owns two dental practices in the Cologne area, Corina started collecting at the age of 19 and is a well-known collector in Germany's contemporary art scene. Her collection which focuses on post-war German art, has grown to include both iconic artists fr...

Today I am interviewing Klaus Mertens, a discreet but active Berlin-based collector who also sits on the advisory board of Haus am Waldsee , one of the most exciting contemporary art venues in the city. Klaus most recently founded a deep tech company, but he has had an interest in contemporary art since he was a student and started acquiring works together with his wife a few years ago. They slowe...

This week I am trying out a new format with this solo episode, where I reflect on the five lessons I have learned so far about collecting art through my interviews with collectors on the field. From where the real gatekeeping is happening, to the role of relationships and how to think about the market, these are the things collectors unanimously seem to agree on, regardless of their unique persona...

Today I am very happy to have Rachel Verghis on the podcast - one of the first guests I had on my radar when the idea of the podcast started coming to fruition, and I’m grateful she opened up so generously about her story and her passion for bringing art to as many people as possible. Based in London, Rachel is a former investment banker who found her calling in art and collecting. Without any for...

Today I am in London with Susan Dunn. Susan is the founder of Harbour Litigation Funding, which funds high value legal disputes - a fascinating industry that Susan kickstarted in the UK in the early 2000s and is worth over 2 billion pounds today. While diving into litigation funding would have also made for a compelling podcast episode, Susan and I talked about her favourite topic in the world - a...

Today I am in Paris with Raphaël Isvy ( @raph_is ) Raphaël doesn't come from an art background or career but since he was a kid, the act of collecting has been a big part of his life - be it trainers, Pokemon cards or video games. His fine art journey began in 2016 and since 2022, he has been collecting art full time. Raphaël's journey as a fully self-taught collector is incredibly inspiring, I ca...

Today I am speaking with Toni Nolte, a Cologne-based collector, during one of her visits to Berlin. Toni is a medical doctor by training and heads the department for phoniatrics & paedaudiology at the University Hospital in Bonn. For a while, she considered a career in art but chose to study medicine, nonetheless dedicating all her free time to art since. Surprisingly, Toni only recently got i...

Today I am speaking with Tobias Gombert at his Berlin home, where he keeps part of his art collection. Tobias doesn't come from a collecting family, but he started developing his taste at a young age, growing up in Basel at the time where Art Basel started internationalising. Tobias quickly understood the importance of surrounding himself with mentors who taught him how to look at art and guided h...

In this episode of The Collector's Corner, I sit down with my friend Vanessa Mauz - a former finance professional turned art collector and co-founder of A.R.C. , an art members club aiming to make the art world more accessible. Vanessa talks openly about why she made this transition, the challenges she encountered as an outsider and why she believes community and relationships is what makes the jo...

In this episode of The Collector's Corner, I am speaking with Corina Krawinkel about her collecting journey. A dentist by background who owns two dental practices in the Cologne area, Corina started collecting at the age of 19 and is a well-known collector in Germany's contemporary art scene. Her collection which focuses on post-war German art, has grown to include both iconic artists from her gen...

Have you ever looked at an artwork and wondered, "Could I own something like that?" Welcome to "The Collector's Corner" – your insider guide to the elusive world of art collecting. Here, passionate collectors from all walks of life invite you into their journeys, sharing their passion for art and individual approach to collecting. "The Collector's Corner" is for anyone curious about the art world...