Peter Ibsen randomly collected art he liked for ten years. That is until the founder of the Copenhagen Contemporary art blog came across a black, checkerboard-like work by Gregor Hildebrandt—one that defied his powers of interpretation, making it impossible to put out of his mind. Ibsen decided to break from his past: he sold off his collected works and set himself a strict focus going forward. Since then, he has concentrated on monochrome and minimalist works by a viable number of artists he shows in his private home. Ibsen—who also co-curates the Code Art Fair in Copenhagen—often promotes young artists starting out in their careers. In addition to Hildebrandt, his collection includes works by Sergej Jensen, André Butzer, Sam Moyer, and Ethan Cook, among others. “I enjoy the fact that when there is less to see, you have to look a little harder,” is how Ibsen explains his fondness for the “non-colors” black, white, and gray.

Frankfurt am Main-based writer Sandra Danicke is a correspondent for the art magazine Art, where she reports on contemporary artists and all art historical time periods. In addition, she holds a PhD in art history and works as an editor for the Frankfurter Rundschau and as a freelance journalist for Die Zeit and the Süddeutsche Zeitung

All images courtesy The Peter Ibsen Collection, Copenhagen