A Glimpse Inside a Private Collection of a True Art Lover

“I’m motivated by the passion that an artist puts into the creative process.” -Pablo Annovelli

INTERVIEW WITH ART COLLECTOR PABLO ANNOVELLI

Collector PABLO ANNOVELLI

LES COULEURS: What is your focus regarding the artists in your collection?

Pablo Annovelli: I am focusing now on contemporary Latin American art, particularly artists that have made a significant impact in the US. However, the local art scene in Miami has grown so much, that I’m considering this as an addition.

LC: Are you more interested in emerging or renowned artists?

PA: I try to lean towards the more established artists, but I have a little bit of everything in my collection.

LC: If you could live with just one work of art, what would it be?

PA: Out of my collection: Velocity by Fabian Burgos, one of the first pieces that I acquired and is part of the layout here in Downtown Miami. You may recognize the series as the exterior of Brickell Heights and the SLS Lux buildings. But, if I have to choose from the whole universe of arts, probably anything from Roy Lichtenstein.

FABIAN BURGOS
Velocity

LC: When did you fall in love with a piece of art? What was it?

PA: I fell in love with a collaboration between Andy Warhol and Martha Minujin, “Payment of the Argentine Foreign Debt to Andy Warhol with Corn” at my first Miami Art Basel in 2006. I was able to buy the piece at Minujin’s Studio many years later, and it was one of my happiest moments as a collector.

Payment of the Argentine Foreign Debt to Andy Warhol with Corn

LC: What is your most treasured artwork?

PA: “Untitled” by Alfredo Esposito, not only it is one of the most impactful pieces of the collection, but he is an amazing person and a great friend of mine. 

LC: What was your most recent purchase?

PA: I bought “To Come Back”, by Liliana Porter at Ruth Benzacar’s gallery in Buenos Aires. I always wanted to have a piece by her, and this just came at the right moment. 

LC: What is your biggest regret regarding collecting?

PA: It has to do with the Online Auctions, I regret to be too conservative to pull the trigger on some of them. I tend to buy most of my pieces at the art fairs and galleries.

LC: Which works or artists are you hoping to add to your collection this year? 

PA: I’m looking to get a piece by Vik Muniz. I follow his career since I met him at the Miami Art Museum (Now PAMM), and I still have one of his books he signed for me that day. Also I am looking to add a Rogelio Polesello and a piece by Martha Boto that I saw in Midtown.

LC: How are you discovering new artists these days?

PA: It’s very hard right now, I’ve been participating in the Perez Art Museum virtual gatherings and trying to keep up online. But the ecosystem needs Art Shows and Museum events. I’m looking forward to 2021 in that respect. In the meantime, I’m looking to secure some of the art that I already know and love.

LC: How important is it for you to meet the artists who created the artwork?

PA: It’s important to some extent, but not a deal-breaker for me. I love to meet and learn from the artist as much as I can, but sometimes a work of art speaks for itself. Sometimes I don’t even want to know the details because I’m looking at it from my point of view and I love it.

LC: What made you want to start collecting art? What is the main motivation behind your collecting?

PA: Long before buying my first piece of art, I become a member of the local museums, where I had the opportunity to chat with great curators, and also to sign up for as many private collector visits as I could. After I had learned from these institutions, as well as from other art collectors that were kind enough to share their passion with me, I started my journey and never looked back. I’m motivated by the passion that an artist puts into the creative process. And as a collector, my hope is to leave a legacy that can be improved by the next generations.