Celebrity Art Collectors
MADONNA’S MADONNAS
If you are an artist, having a famous (or infamous) movie star collect your work may often raise your profile in the art market, making you more desirable to other collectors. Many stars of screen and stage collect museum-quality works: Madonna, Elton John, and Victoria Beckham (aka “Posh Spice”) collect works by Damien Hirst; actress Jane Fonda and singer Robbie Williams collect the work of Andy Warhol; and the work of controversial British artist Banksy adorns the home of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The private collection of comedian/writer Steve Martin, who started collecting at the age of 21, is permanently enshrined in the Bellagio Hotel Gallery of Fine Art in Las Vegas and includes some heavy-hitters in 20th-century modern and contemporary art—from Picasso and Roy Lichtenstein to Eric Fischl and Francis Bacon.
Hollywood celebrities often amass world-class art collections sought by auction houses and galleries.
Though some celebrities treat the activity of collecting works of art as a distracting pastime, most regard their collections as serious, long-term endeavors, and tend to immerse themselves in learning all they can about the artworks they acquire. Though much of his spectacular collection of premier works of art by Jean-Michel Basquiat went to auction in 2002, Metallica drummer and long-time art collector Lars Ulrich understands the commitment it takes to collect, stating, “Collecting is not about the trophy on the wall, it is about the journey.”28 —SBR