The Groove 220 - Why Art Collecting Transcends Generations
Welcome to the 220th issue of The Groove.
I am Maria Brito, an art advisor, curator, and author based in New York City.
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WHY ART COLLECTING TRANSCENDS GENERATIONS
There’s a reason art has survived wars, revolutions, and economic collapses. While stocks crash, real estate crumbles, and trends fade, art endures. It outlives collectors, transcends generations, and remains one of the most powerful ways to preserve and transfer wealth, culture, and identity.
It’s been the privilege of a lifetime for me to give shape to dozens of spectacular collections around the world. To witness collectors derive immense pleasure from the art they live with is a joy in itself. But what’s even more powerful is knowing that many of them have long-term plans for their collections: to pass them down to their children or donate them to institutions so that the world can continue to experience their beauty, significance, and cultural impact.
Think about it: throughout history, art has been among the first things protected in times of crisis. During World War II, the Monuments Men risked their lives to recover masterpieces stolen by the Nazis. The Louvre emptied its halls to safeguard the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Even today, when conflict erupts, museums and collectors move quickly to shield their treasures. Why? Because art isn’t just an asset, it’s the fabric of civilization.
More Than A Mere Investment
Isabella Stewart Garden Museum Tapestry Room. Stillman Rogers / Alamy Stock Photo
People collect art for many reasons: passion, prestige, legacy. But unlike other assets, art is not just about financial return (although it can be). It carries emotion, history, and meaning. A painting by Matisse isn’t just a canvas with oil; it's a moment in time, a conversation with history, a reflection of the artist’s mind. Try saying the same about a stock certificate.
Collectors don’t just accumulate, they curate according to their tastes and preferences. Their collections tell us who they are. If we look at a few formidable collectors of the past, Isabella Stewart Gardner built a collection so compelling that her museum remains untouched, preserving her vision exactly as she intended (minus the 1990 heist).
J. Paul Getty turned his love for antiquities into an institution that now houses one of the world’s most significant art collections. These collectors weren’t just acquiring; they were shaping history, ensuring that future generations would experience the power of art.
The Generational Power of Art
The Great Hall at Sutton Place in Guildford, home of the late J. Paul Getty. PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Art is one of the few things that can move seamlessly through generations while increasing in significance. A house may deteriorate. A car becomes obsolete. Sneakers disintegrate. But a piece of art? It becomes even more storied, more valuable, more revered. Families pass down artworks not just as financial assets but as heirlooms, touchstones of identity.
In 1997, Christie’s offered 58 works for sale, including pieces by Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Eva Hesse. But the real anticipation centered on a standout group of Picassos. His market was rising, yet its true strength was untested, impressionist works still led auctions, and Picasso’s newfound dominance was far from guaranteed.
The event drew an astonishing 2,000 people and blew past expectations, fetching $206.5 million (that’s almost $400 million today). It became the highest-grossing single-owner auction at the time. The sellers were the four children and heirs of Victor and Sally Ganz, a visionary New York couple who had built the most important private Picasso collection in the U.S.
Even when works are sold, they don’t disappear into oblivion. They continue to circulate, finding new stewards and new meanings. For example, Picasso’s Les femmes d'Alger (Version "H"), 1955, was in sold for $7.15 million as part of the Ganz collection. It is now part of the Nahmad Collection in Switzerland, who in May 2015 loaned to Tate Liverpool and later in 2020 loaned it to the Royal Academy of Art in London. Art lives on.
The Emotional Currency of Art
Peggy Guggenheim at home in Venice with a Picasso painting on the back and a Calder mobile on the front. Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo
No one stands in front of a stock portfolio and feels moved to tears (unless there’s a market crash). But art? Art has the power to stir something deep within us. It tells stories, provokes thought, and creates connections across time and space.
This is why people fight to protect it. This is why, even in the darkest moments of history, art is among the first things people seek to save. And this is why collecting art is unlike any other form of collecting. It’s not just about value, it’s about legacy, meaning, and human expression.
When you buy a work of art, you’re not just making an acquisition. You’re becoming part of a lineage of collectors who understand that art isn’t just for today. It’s for tomorrow, and for every generation that follows.
And that’s something no other asset can offer.