The Collector's Corner

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When Jorg Rozier first reached out to tell me he had found a method that systematically allowed him to identify how an artist's trajectory was evolving within the art canon, I was obviously intrigued. He'd decided to put his model (yes, as in Excel model) into a book so that more collectors could use it. That book is The Canon Index, and that's how today's interview came about.

Jorg's collection, in his own words, is built around one idea: a fight. The model he developed to build it is grounded in a peer-reviewed study published in Science in 2018, accessible to anyone, for free. But when I read his book, I was disconcerted. The contrast between the elusiveness most people perceive from the art market and the analytical lens this research provides felt like finding out about something I shouldn't know. And Jorg chose to apply it systematically to achieve his dream: building, within his means, a museum-grade collection.

In our conversation we talk about how the model works, why auction might be the single best place for new collectors to buy, and why despite all of this, good art advisors will never be out of a job.

Note: the Fraiberger et al. paper referenced in this episode was published in Science in 2018, not 2016 as stated during the conversation.

Artist references:
Fraiberger et al. — Quantifying Reputation and Success in Art
Anton Heyboer
Sergej Jensen
David Ostrowski
Josh Smith
Barnaby Furnas  
Pamela Rosenkranz
Richard Serra
Takesda Matsutani
Marcel Dzama
Kaws
Alec Monopoly
Joseph Klibansky
Retna
Daniel Arsham
Anne Imhof
Rosa de la Cruz Collection

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 text finally changed my whole perspective.
Jesse Darling, The Contractor at Galerie Molitor

I hope you enjoy this episode - let me know your thoughts on Instagram @collectors_corner_ or on the podcast website!

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, brand partnerships, talks, and a brilliant podcast, he creates what he calls cultural infrastructure for the next generation of artists - in particular those trying to build careers without traditional entry points. He came up through the music industry, and in my opinion the parallels he draws make the picture very telling.
I am the first to tend to describe the art world as an 'ecosystem' but I like how Ade reframes it as infrastructure. Unlike an ecosystem, infrastructure feels tangible -it can be measured, objectively critiques and rebuilt. And that's exactly what he's doing.
References mentioned in the episode:
Banksy documentary Exit through the gift shop
Mr Brainwash
DSYF
Slawn at Saatchi Yates
1-54
Daniel Arsham and Hublot
Yinka Ilori
Yinka Ilori & Lego: Launderette of Dreams
Puretee Elusive
Ken Nwadiogbu
Koby Martin
Club Bum
Hebru Brantley
KAWS
Kehinde WIley

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 asset class, which she directly compares to venture capital.
That last part is where things get complicated for me. My day job is in finance and alternative assets, so I understand the framework. But I've always believed art serves a role in our civilisation that's hard to price: it transcends individuals and generations, captures cultural relevance in real time, functions almost like a public good. When art gets repackaged as an investment vehicle, the market starts selecting for financial value, and I worry that slowly erodes the conditions that make culturally meaningful work possible in the first place. I'm not naive about it: artists need to make a living, and markets exist for a reason. I just feel like a line should be drawn somewhere. I can't fully articulate where yet.
Ultimately I do agree with Prisca that it's not about throwing away the old art world, but building on it as our broader world changes. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
References mentioned in the episode:
Alvaro Barrington
Moffat Takadiwa
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Alexa Hatanaka

Follow the podcast to see the guests' collections at ⁠@collectors_corner_⁠ !