Top contemporary art collectors

Who are the people that are making the art market thrive while breaking world record prices for contemporary art? Artalistic has rounded up a list of the most famous figures evolving in this influential microcosm.

Top contemporary art collectors in the world

This ranking is by no means official. We have created it by collecting information from various institutions, journals (Forbes magazine’s yearly list of the top art collectors), auction houses and major art dealers.

France’s top art collectors: Bernard Arnault & François Pinault

Bernard Arnault: founder of LVMH Louis Vuitton Monët Hennessy

Bernard Arnault is a forerunner on the scene of great French and European art collectors. Arnault has been CEO of the company LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) since 1989. This is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate founded by Alain Chevalier and Henry Racamier in 1987.

Arnault is passionate about Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work and has devoted part of his fortune to purchasing several thousands of paintings. His art collection is on display at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Bois de Boulogne, Paris. The architect Frank Gehry designed the futuristic building that houses the collection. This foundation is a key player in the world of contemporary art that hosts exhibitions featuring great artists such as Giacometti, Warhol and Picasso. It also organizes a wide range of artistic events and awards prizes to students from art schools around the world.

François Pinault: one of the top French contemporary art collectors

François Pinault is a French billionaire businessman and founder of the luxury group Kering. He has a large art collection of over 3,500 works and a propensity for contemporary art. He is a forward thinking businessman and attempted to build a museum on Séguin Island in the west of Paris, however his project was rejected. François Pinault’s dream to create a gallery was fulfilled when he opened the Pinault Collection in Venice, Italy, next to the Grassi Palace. This museum houses famous pieces by artists like Murakami and Damien Hirst. A new museum of contemporary art, The Pinault Collection, recently opened in Paris a few blocks from the Louvre at the Bourse de Commerce near the church of Saint-Eustache.

Top art collectors in America, Germany and China

Eli Broad

Eli Broad and his wife are key figures in the California art scene. Over the past fifty years they have created a very extensive and revered art collection. He created The Broad contemporary art museum in Los Angeles, which features artists such as Jeff Koons and Roy Lichtenstein. He is one of the greatest contemporary art collectors in the world.

Peter Brant

Peter Brant owns Interview magazine – formerly owned by Andy Warhol – and is considered to be one of the world's most influential art collectors. He is the head of Art in America and Antiques, which are published by his company Brant Publications Inc. He also created his own foundation, the Brant Foundation, which specializes in American art and is located in Connecticut.

Reinhold Würth

Reinhold Würth is a German businessman who created the Adolf Würth Group. This famous art collector owns thirteen museums in different countries, including Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Austria. His collection is said to include more than 15,000 works spanning the late 19^th century to present day.

Guan Yi

Guan Yi is a Chinese businessman who built a fortune in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. He stopped working in this sector in 2004 in order to devote himself to his lifelong passion – art. This famous collector of contemporary art and amateur photographer is very well known in Asia. He stated, "I never worry about the market. The price of a piece has nothing to do with its quality."