Top 10 Private Collections From The BMW Art Guide

As much as we love museums, some of our favorite contemporary art collections are those that are curated from a particular perspective.

In search of an art inspiration refresh, we’ve found ourselves thumbing through the freshly-released fourth edition of the BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors: A thoughtfully selected round-up of 256 private collections accessible to the public across the globe. From Norway to Tasmania, we’ve rounded up the 10 institutions that most pique our interest. For more insider’s tips, check out www.bmw-art-guide.com.

 

1. CRANFORD COLLECTION, ENGLAND

Roe Ethridge, ‘Gisele on the Phone’, 2013, C-print, 116 x 88 cm. Photo © Mark Griffiths, courtesy of the Cranford Collection, London

Collectors Muriel and Freddy Salem grounded their collection in 1990, focussing on the Young British Artists. Since then, the couple have amassed around 700 works, including many by women artists such as Bridget Riley and Rebecca Warren, and displayed across four floors in their John Nash-designed home near London’s Regent’s Park.

Cranford Collection
London, Great Britain
Visit by e-mail appointment only

 

2. IGAL AHOUVI ART COLLECTION

Prima Facie Installation View at the Igal Ahouvi Art Collection. Photo © courtesy of the Igal Ahouvi Art Collection

One of Israel’s largest private collection, the investor Igal Ahouvi has acquired over 750 works from international artists ranging from Andy Warhol to Marlene Dumas, and 850 works by Israeli artists such as Sigalit Landau. The format of Ahouvi’s collection – presented at the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery from 2014 – sets the academic tone for the exhibition spaces and the works that fill it.

Igal Ahouvi Art Collection
The Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery. Entin Square, Tel Aviv University 54 Haim Levanon Street, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
Sun–Wed: 11am–7pm
Thurs: 11am–9pm
Fri: 10am–2pm

 

3. INSTITUTIO INHOTIM – CENTRO DE ARTE CONTEMPORANEA E JARDIM BOTANICO, BRAZIL

Yayoi Kusama, ‘Nascissus Garden’, 2009. Photo © Pedro Motta

The lush playground of collector, commodities magnate and philanthropist Bernando Paz, this 1000-hectare tropical garden and outdoor art space hosts experimental projects from some of the most renowned artists of our generation, such as Yayoi Kusama and Ólafur Elíasson. Led by a team of four curators, the impressive outdoor exhibition space is best explored by golf cart.

Instituto Inhotim
Rua B 20 Brumadinho, MG 35460-000, Brazil
Tues–Fri: 9:30am–4:30pm
Sat–Sun: 9:30am–5:30pm

 

4. KAVIARFACTORY, NORWAY

Photo © courtesy KaviarFactory

A former caviar factory on the Lofoten Islands, not too far from the Arctic Circle, is now home to the collection of Venke and Rolf A. Hoff, who invite artists from around the world to exhibit in the 500 square meter space. A visit wouldn’t be complete without an overnight stay in the Hoffs’ lighthouse nearby.

KaviarFactory
Henningsværveien 13 8312, Henningsvær, Norway
Mon–Sun: 10am–6pm
And by appointment

 

5. KUNST(ZEUG)HAUS, SWITZERLAND

Maya Bringolf, ‘Air Transfer’. Photo © Bernhard Strauss

The Zurich-based lawyer Peter Bosshard and his wife, Elisabeth, have been collecting since the 1970s, and have been supporting the local art scene since. Their 5000-work collection is on rotating display in a former arsenal factory in the city of Rapperswil-Jona, which – at 2600 square meters – also hosts up to four exhibitions of emerging and established Swiss artists alike.

Kunst(Zeug)Haus
Schönbodenstrasse 1, 8640 Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland
Wed–Fri: 2–6pm
Sat–Sun: 11am–6pm

 

6. LE SILO, FRANCE

Photo © courtesy of Le Silo

Minimalism, conceptual art and geometric abstraction are the preoccupations of French business couple Jean-Philippe and Françoise Billarant, whose circle of friends includes Carl Andre and François Morellet. In 1948, the couple enlisted the architect Xavier Prédine-Hug to transform a grain silo into an exhibition space, which they then filled with site-specific installations.

Le Silo
Route de Bréançon 95640, Marines, France
By appointment only

 

7. MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART (MONA), AUSTRALIA

Mona’s southern facade viewed from Little Frying Pan Island, south of the museum, and view of Amarna (2015) Skyspace installation during dawn sequence. ‘AMARNA’, 2015, James Turrell, Skyspace series, Dimensions: 7 (H) 28.3 x x 21.15m (D), Museum rooftop plaza, Steel frame, fibreglass foam sandwich roof construction, fibreglass reinforced concrete seating. Work © James Turrell. Photo © MONA/Rémi Chauvin, courtesy of MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Housing of the most expansive – and undoubtedly impressive – art collections in the Southern Hemisphere, MONA focusses on the themes of sex and death, showcasing contemporary art alongside ancient relics such as coins and mummies. The acclaimed institution was founded in 2011 by the millionaire David Walsh, who made his fortune devising systems to win at gambling.

MONA
655 Main Road, Berriedale, TAS 7011, Hobart, Australia
May–September Wed–Mon: 10am–5pm
October–April Wed–Mon: 10am–6pm

 

8. QIAO ZHIBING COLLECTION

Works from left to right: Zhang Enli, ‘Sky’, 2010; Zhang Enli, ‘The Yellow and Green Pipes’, 2012; Wilhelm Sasnal, ‘Engine’, 2010; Olafur Eliasson, ‘Colour Experiment No. 22 (fibonacci outside spiral)’, 2010; Works © Qiao Zhibing Collection. Photo © JJYPHOTO

Hidden in a Shanghai nightclub stands the contemporary art collection of Qiao Zhibing, whose collection – begun in 2006 – focuses on the new generation of Chinese artists, such as Liu Wen and Yang Fudong. A secondary exhibition space has been viewable since 2015, and a second location will open in 2017.

Qiao Zhibing Collection
Shanghai Night, Caobao Road 400, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
By e-mail appointment only

 

9. TBA21 – AUGARTEN, AUSTRIA

Ernesto Neto, ‘A Gente se encontra aqui hoje, amanhã em outro lugar. Enquanto isso Deus é Deusa.’ Santa gravidade, 2003, © courtesy of Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, Vienna. Photo © Jens Ziehe

This is a global art foundation that thinks harder, defining itself as a think tank for art projects existing on the edge of art, architecture and sustainability. An open-air stage designed by the architect David Adjaye enhances the platform with concerts, performances and lectures. The Chairwoman of the collection, Francesca von Habsburg, has been a social patron of the arts since 2002.

TBA21—Augarten, Austria
Scherzergasse 1A 1020, Vienna, Austria
Wed–Thurs: 12–5pm
Fri–Sun: 12–7pm

 

10. VANHAERENTS ART COLLECTION, BELGIUM

Haroon Mirza, ‘Digital Switchover’, 2012, © Haroon Mirza/hrm199 Ltd. Photo © Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels

The businessman Walter Varenhaerents originally studied film; a period during which he discovered Andy Warhol’s ‘Sleep’. His comprehensive collection now comprises a range of contemporary artists ranging from Cindy Sherman to Takashio Murakami.

Vanhaerents Art Collection
Rue Anneessens 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Online registration required

– In collaboration with BMW –