Raphael ISVY aged 33 and father to two girls lives in Paris. Having studied mathematics and statistics to work in finance and asset management firms, Raphael has consulted for some of the biggest technology companies in the world ,selling software to banks. After 10 years in this sector, the moment had come to divert his energy and time away and focus more on his passion: art.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What was your first experience with art?
Designer toys, prints, urban art, some fairs, vinyl covers, Paris… I’ve always been surrounded by it, it's just that I never really focused on it until 2016 when it all begins.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: How did it shape your interest in collecting?
Owning something unique and desirable is a feeling that can’t be described. I have been collecting since a very young age, Pokemon cards, then video games, then assembling small car parts, sneakers…Collecting is something amazing that you can share with people who have the same passion!
I love young artists, and have always dreamt about owning many blue chip artworks I have seen in museums.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: How has your collection or type of work you collect evolved over time?
It evolved a ton, from urban art print to designer toys, to small drawings to original paintings. Getting closer and closer to contemporary art and leaving the cartoon / kawaii style.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Tell us a bit about your collection - What artists or types of art do you gravitate towards?
My collection is mainly figurative and portraits. I try to learn and train my eye to be open minded about art that is not as easy, or different from what I am used to collecting. I love young artists, and have always dreamt about owning many blue chips I have seen in museums back then.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Tell us a bit about a few of your favourite or recent acquisitions/additions to your collection? Or artists whose work you have collected.
I recently acquired works from Joseph Yaeger, George Condo, Brian Calvin, Alma Felhandler, Julie Curtiss, Anastasia Bay…and many more! My next dream is to have work by Lee Ufan or Tracey Emin.
...it’s a special recipe where you can’t tell the ingredients, but when it works, you know it instantly.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What are your criteria for selecting a work of art?
I need to love the work, it needs to have its spot in my home, I want to know the artist's background, his/her bio, I also need to like the gallery…it’s a special recipe where you can’t tell the ingredients, but when it works, you know it instantly.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Do you collect with a theme or particular goal in mind?
Figurative as I said before, my goal is to build something that remains serious over time, not just for a few years but decades!
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: How do you decide which artists and pieces to acquire?
It’s a “long” process, I first put it into my radar, try my best to see a work in person, find a gallery around that shows the artist, then I spend time understanding its representative style (young artists evolve too quickly). Then I engage with the galleries that show the artist to find an approach on how to get the work and also discuss the future of the artist. What is essential to me is getting a lot of advice from collector friends to regain some objectivity since art is really subjective. I sometimes need to hear other people's thoughts.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Do you work with art advisors or other art professionals to help select or source artwork?
I try my best to always purchase work in the primary market myself.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Do you buy art in auctions, or follow auction results? How influential is that to your collecting, if at all?
I follow auctions weekly. I'm more interested in finding forgotten gems in small auction houses, that’s how I found my Huma Bhabha and Pettibon! Super exciting process.
Lately it has become nearly impossible to collect, too much demand for not enough artworks.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: Are there any artists whose work you have collected multiple pieces of? If so, why?
I mostly move on to another artist when I get a work from the artist. With a few exceptions: Anna Park, Robin Francesca Williams, Robert Nava, Laurens Legiers and Namio Harukawa.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: How did you first become aware of the artists whose work you’ve collected?
PDF's received and Instagram mostly. I also receive daily suggestions from my friends in some Whatsapp groups of collectors.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What challenges have you faced when collecting artwork?
Lately it has become nearly impossible to collect, too much demand for not enough artworks. Galleries are now asking more and more, and sometimes it’s better to let artists go and move on instead of spending too much time in battles lost in advance. My biggest failure was not getting a Lenz Geerk ! One day maybe.
We need fairs and events to finally go back to physically meeting people and seeing art in person.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What has been the most rewarding experience from collecting art?
Probably having people visit my home to show them the collection and see in their eyes that I did a decent job! Getting press is also something amazing, I’m super grateful for that.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What do you look for when attending an art fair or an auction?
Meeting people, meeting galleries and seeing art in person. Pdfs are still too flat and we miss details and texture. Discussing with people is everything. We live in a fully digital world: from buying through PDFs, discussing on Whatsapp and video chatting, we need fairs and events to finally go back to physically meeting people and seeing art in person.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What do you look for when viewing an artist’s portfolio?
I try searching to understand the artist's “special unique thing” , the thing that will define them for the coming years and that will need to be included in the work I want to purchase.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What do you think the art world will be like in ten years' time?
With social media, the current economic climate and many many more ongoing things cannot even let you predict at a 1 year horizon. Who could have predicted that COVID would change the art world that way.
ARTCOLLECTORNEWS: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting an art collection?
The more you meet people and talk with them, whatever their role is (collector, dealer, artist, gallery…) will make you grow and evolve and be more open minded with your perception of art.
April arrives with the melodious chirping of birds, stirring excitement for the summer holidays already planned, and Venice gearing up for its biennial extravaganza. Devoting just a monthly recommendation to this would be sacrilege. Instead, let's focus on a feast sweeping across Europe this month and lasting until September, offering a plethora of orgasmic exhibitions.
With less than a week until the press reviews and a 10-day countdown to the inauguration of the 2024 Biennale,the art world's spotlight converges on Adriano Pedrosa and the 332 artists poised to define the contemporary art landscape at the Giardini and the Arsenale. With a keen eye for capturing the essence of our times, Pedrosa's curated exhibition for the 60th iteration of this prestigious event is a testament to the global currents of migration and the vibrant tapestry of queer and indigenous voices.
"An artwork must resonate with me on a personal level; it's essential that I can perceive the narrative woven into every piece I consider. I listen for the artist's voice in their work, sensing the pulse of their passion. There must be that moment—a kind of heartbeat—when I first lay eyes on a piece. If that heartbeat isn’t there, if the work doesn't stir something within me, I simply can't bring myself to add it to my collection."