BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors
Claudio Cosma
Sensus – Luoghi per l’arte Contemporanea – Florence, Italy
![](/site/assets/files/1575/2020-01-10_19-12-35_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors-v1.640x0.jpg?v=1097417547 640w, /site/assets/files/1575/2020-01-10_19-12-35_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors-v1.jpg?v=1327310041 1024w)
What was the first piece of artwork you purchased, and when was this?
When I bought a Lorenzo Bonechi tempera in the early 80s, I didn’t know that it would become the first piece of my collection, although the surrounding context already fascinated me a lot. I knew Bonechi’s art dealer and we had visited his atelier together several times before I decided to purchase his work. First we had to transfer the work from paper onto canvas and create an adequate wooden frame, so we went to a carpenter who was also custodian of the Horne Museum in Florence, which hosts a collection of local art from the 15th century. He had his working space and apartment there in the attic. I had the chance to spend a lot of time in this place before it opened to the public and I also had the keys to the space for a short period of time. The contact with this high quality art and with the experimental artists I met during these years influenced and defined my personal taste.
![Mitsunori Kimura, ’The bird’s blind spot’, 2013 (photo: Silvia Noferi)](/site/assets/files/1584/2020-01-10_19-13-00_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/1584/2020-01-10_19-13-00_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
Why do you collect?
The artworks I collect surround me in a material sense but open up a different kind of reality and dimension of life that stands for itself. In a way artworks have become my companions. I find it fascinating to live with art, also because I perceive the works and their materiality differently and with different senses. That’s why I own works made of camphor wood, spices, chocolate or wool. Others are just composed of sounds. I even own one that is formed of three big containers with eatable plants. Of course the search for art itself, the actual acquisition and consequently the intimacy I feel with the work, push me to collect.
Does your collection follow a concept or a specific theme?
I can define three criteria: The fragility of materials that is perceptible through time; light and its opposite element that makes it visible – the shadow; and, the border, the boundary line or the verge that defines tangible and immaterial elements. These themes build up the framework of the collection. I always find at least one of them within the pieces I look for.
![Exhibition view with works by Maitree Siriboon, Mitsunora Kimura, Imhathai Suwatthanasilp and Marika Marchese (photo: Silvia Noferi)](/site/assets/files/1585/2020-01-10_19-13-23_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/1585/2020-01-10_19-13-23_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
![Angelo Barone, ’Casta diva’, 1993 and ’Cumuli’, 1989 (photo: Martin Leon)](/site/assets/files/1585/2020-01-10_19-13-18_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/1585/2020-01-10_19-13-18_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
Who are the artists you are currently following?
I have always followed Fabrizio Corneli who works with light and perceptual illusions, and a young Japanese artist called Mitsunori Kimura. He builds small sculptures made of oil paste and camphor wood.
Do you have a personal relationship with the artist you collect?
Yes, I consider a direct contact with artists as very important. Often it gives me the opportunity to visit their studio and to let them speak about their work. Sometimes I have even made long-lasting friendships. Artists often have an avant-garde view on life, which helps me to understand some indefinable sides of myself.
![Lorenzo Pezzatini, ”Cosmatesca“, 2014. Foto dell’autore](/site/assets/files/1586/2020-01-10_19-13-45_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/1586/2020-01-10_19-13-45_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
![Claudio Cosma’s first artwork, ’Figura nel paesaggio’ by Lorenzo Bonechi, 1982 (detail)](/site/assets/files/1586/2020-01-10_19-13-47_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/1586/2020-01-10_19-13-47_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
Why did you decide to make your collection publicly accessible?
My dream of having the entire collection in a single location came true just two years ago – until then I had kept my works in a deposit. My dear friend Gualtiero Lombardini offered me a wide bright space in Florence, where I could exhibit what I bought over the years. The decision to make the collection public came as a natural consequence. I would describe Sensus as a foundation that collaborates with critics, curators, journalists, collectors and cultural institutions, as well as with foreign academies and universities that visit us outside of our opening hours.
![Vitrine with works by Silvia Noferi, ”Ladro di caramelle“, 2013. Foto Claudio Cosma](/site/assets/files/1587/2020-01-10_19-13-56_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/1587/2020-01-10_19-13-56_interview-with-claudio-cosma_bmw_art_guide_by_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
Which publicly accessible private collection would you recommend visiting?
I really appreciate the Fondation Beyeler in Basel. It represents a perfect model that art lovers should strive for: a harmonious fusion of indoor and outdoor spaces that stand in an active dialogue with the works. It is a place where you can study or just sit for a while observing everything in peace.
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