FX.co ★ 10 billionaires with passion for art

Ronald Lauder

Ronald Lauder is an American entrepreneur of Jewish origin who has made a stunning diplomatic and political career. Having withdrawn from politics, he was appointed President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC). Besides, he became a philanthropist and dived into collecting.

As of now, he has gathered the world’s largest private collection of Medieval armor and munitions. Apart from that, his collection comprises paintings by German expressionists, post-war German, Italian, and contemporary artists as well as antiquities: all in all, 4,000 items. The World War II memorabilia purchased by Ronald Lauder for $25 million is acknowledged to be one of the most comprehensive on a global scale.

In 2001, Ronald and his wife Jo Carol founded Die Neue Galerie museum in his native city New York. It houses a huge collection of Austrian and German art of the 20th century, including one of the most expensive paintings in the world, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt worth $135 million. For a quarter of a century, ARTnews has included spouses in the annual rating of 200 best collectors.

Leon Black

American investor Leon Black keeps a low profile but he is actively involved in social life. The entrepreneur treats art not as an investment but as a form of symbolic capital.

The Scream, the outstanding painting by Edvard Munch valued now at $750 million, was the first purchase of Leon Black and his wife that set the stage for their collection of masterpieces. They bought the painting for almost $120 million at the Sotheby's auction in 2012. They purchased a set of the Babylonian Talmud by Daniel Bomberg for $9.3 million three years later.

Black's extensive collection of paintings includes works not only by old masters (Raphael, William Turner, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, etc.) but also by contemporary artists.

Patrick Drahi

Patrick Drahi who recently bought the 277-year-old auction house Sotheby's is one of the wealthiest French. The billionaire is a recognized art expert as he has had a passion for art since his childhood.

Nowadays, the telecom mogul possesses a vast collection of art pieces but prefers to stay out of the spotlight. The curious fact about him is that the entrepreneur releases stress and finds inspiration before tense negotiations by watching the masterpieces of romantic artists of the 19th and 20th centuries such as Theodore Gericault and Eugene Delacroix, as well as more modern authors: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and especially Marc Chagall.

Stephen Alan Wynn

American real estate developer Stephen Alan Wynn is known as the King of Las Vegas. No wonder, he infused a gambling passion into collecting works of art.

According to Forbes, the art items in his collection which now comprises more than 200 of them are estimated today at about $ 1 billion. These are paintings by Edouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, and others. Among the most expensive recent purchases are two paintings by Pablo Picasso for $105 million: Woman with a Beret and Collar and Jacqueline.

The weird incident occurred with Steve Wynn in 2006 shortly before the deal worth $139 million. With a sharp gesture, he accidentally punched with his elbow the canvas Dream by Picasso, the pearl of his collection. The deal had to be cancelled.

Steven Cohen

Being a trader, investor, and hedge fund manager, Steven Cohen views works of art as a tool of expanding his own capital. He is eager to buy masterpieces and sells them easily, earning handsome gains.

This happened with the painting Dream by Pablo Picasso. It seems that the outstanding philanthropist was not embarrassed by the fact of damage to the canvas. Nevertheless, he bought it at the highest price that an American collector has ever paid for a work of art - $ 155 million.

Cohen’s collection boasts works from post-impressionism to contemporary art (paintings by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Edvard Munch, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, etc.). The collection is estimated at $ 1 billion.

Bernard Arnault

The name of the French billionaire is closely linked to LVMH Group and such brands as Louis Vuitton and Moët & Chandon.

Bernard Arnault was put at the top of the list of the richest people in Europe 5 years ago. He revealed his passion for art collecting in 1982. The billionaire admits that art pieces for him are a never-ending source of solace.

The entrepreneur began his collection by purchasing Claude Monet's Charing Cross Bridge in 1982 for $200,000. Later, he added works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Yves Klein, Henry Moore, etc. All in all, he owns about 2,500 paintings from both the personal and corporate collections of the Louis Vuitton Foundation he founded. The foundation is intended for the development of modern painting.

François-Henri Pinault

Billionaire from the sawmill François Pinault is known for his tough business policy. Besides, he is the owner of Christie’s auction house and the chairman and CEO of Kering, the luxury fashion group consisting of Gucci, Saint Laurent, etc. He is recognized as a reputable art collector alongside his counterpart Bernard Arnault.

Pinault's collection, which includes works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Piet Mondrian, and Jeff Koons, can be seen in his own museums, in the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice. The whole value of his art collection measures $1.4 billion.

In 2021, one of the main art patrons of our time opened one more museum, the Pinault Collection which exhibits contemporary art. Nowadays, he devotes all his time and energy to his main hobby: finding and supporting new artists.

Philip Niarchos

Philip Niarchos, one of the richest Greeks, inherited the passion for collecting and a remarkable art collection from his father, shipping magnate Stavros. The billionaire owns canvases by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, and others.

Philip preserved and also expanded the collection which is now estimated at $2.2 billion. So, at Christie's auction, he bought a self-portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat for $57.3 million in the 80-90s, Andy Warhol's painting Shot Red Marilyn for $3.6 million, and the self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh with a cut-off ear for $71.5 million.

Niarchos sits on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the International Board of the Tate Gallery in London.

David Lawrence Geffen

The American tycoon and producer is famous as an owner of a unique collection of American artists' works to the value of $2.3 billion.

He steadily increases his fortune by buying works of art. He invests up to 20% of his funds in it. So, he paid $137.5 million for Woman III by Willem de Kooning and $140 million for No. 5 by Jackson Pollock.

His personality, business style, and error-free financial vision allow him to easily guess the needs of the audience, create the appropriate tools of influence, and discover new names. After successful deals, Geffen makes generous donations to various charitable foundations.

Ezra and David Nahmad

Born in Syria, billionaires Ezra and David Nahmad now reside with their families in Monaco. They are one of the most influential art dealers and also keen collectors. Their hobby is an investment strategy that brings them fat profits.

The Nahmad brothers possess roughly 5,000 paintings to a total value of $7-8 billion. They are held in a duty-free storage place in the neighborhood of Geneva airport. Nearly 300 of them are canvases by Pablo Picasso worth $900 million.