BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Ramin Salsali

Salsali Private Museum – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ramin Salsali, 2011 (photo: Ali |courtesy of SPM)
Ramin Salsali, 2011 (photo: Ali |courtesy of SPM)

What was the first piece of artwork you purchased, and when was this?

I started collecting art when I was 21. The first paintings I acquired were by Kiddy Citny, an artist and musician based in Berlin. He is known for painting on parts of the Berlin Wall before its fall in 1989. There are our pieces; one is in my office in the museum, two are in my Berlin residence and one is in my Hamburg residence.

Why do you collect?

I believe that most of us do have an interest in collecting objects. My interest in collecting art is natural and routed in admiration for any objects that I collect. I remember how my mother used to take my brothers and I to visit museums, in particular the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Iran. These visits had a significant impact on me. From a very young age I learnt to appreciate art and culture and also beauty in my surroundings.

Solo show by Hazem Harb Solo Show, 2015 (photo: Hazem Harb | courtesy of SPM)
Solo show by Hazem Harb Solo Show, 2015 (photo: Hazem Harb | courtesy of SPM)
Solo show by Hazem Harb Solo Show, 2015 (photo: Hazem Harb |courtesy of SPM)
Solo show by Hazem Harb Solo Show, 2015 (photo: Hazem Harb |courtesy of SPM)

Does your collection follow a concept or a specific theme?

To be honest, no concept as such. I collected what I liked. I never collected based on a certain pattern. It is obvious that my collection does reflect my environment of the last years. In recent years I have concentrated on contemporary art from the Middle East. Who are the artists you are currently following? Reza Derakshani, Sara Rahbar, Amirhossein Zanjani, Ramtin Zad, Pantea Rahmani, Manal Al Dowayan, Kiddy Citny and Hazem Harb.

Do you have a personal relationship with the artist you collect?

I personally know many of the artists in my collection and their work continues to inspire me. I believe by having a personal relationship and friendship with the artist, the artworks will gain another dimension in the life of a collector. I strongly recommend building up a relationship and friendship with the artists, as I believe it to be essential to evolve together.

Solo show by Amir Hossein Zanjani, 2014 (photo: Ali Zanjani | courtesy of SPM)
Solo show by Amir Hossein Zanjani, 2014 (photo: Ali Zanjani | courtesy of SPM)

Why did you decide to make your collection publicly accessible?

I believe in the social responsibility of all individuals and corporations to contribute to the development of creativity in their communities by sharing an art collection with the public. Moreover creating and enforcing of the culture of collecting was very important for me. Salsali Private Museum is the first collector center in the world to provide a free of charge service to local and international collectors, allowing them to connect with each other, artists and galleries from the region.

Which publicly accessible private collection would you recommend visiting?

I would recommend the Samdani Collection in Dhaka, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Torino, MAST Bologna, and the Sabanci Museum in Istanbul.

All images via Salsali Private Museum

More Information on Salsali Private Museum

Collectors (77)

Narda van 't Veer

The Narda van 't Veer Collection – Monnickendam, Netherlands

Rashid Al Khalifa

RAK ART FOUNDATION – Riffa, Bahrain

Olivier Chow

The Olivier Chow Collection – Lausanne, Switzerland

Valeria Napoleone

Valeria and Gregorio Napoleone Collection – London, UK

Matteo Novarese

SOF:ART – Bologna, Italy

Martin Steppacher

Gallery Durchgang – Basel, Switzerland

Carmelo Graci

Graci Collection – Mantova, Italy

Dr. William Lim

Living Collection – Hong Kong

NICOLA ERNI

Nicola Erni Collection – Steinhausen, Switzerland

Lukas Jakob

Jakob Collection – Gundelfingen, Germany

Claus Busch Risvig

Bech Risvig Collection – Silkeborg, Denmark

Joseph Awuah-Darko

The Terra Collection Of African Contemporary Art – Accra, Ghana | London, UK

INGRID AND THOMAS JOCHHEIM

Ingrid and Thomas Jochheim Collection – Berlin, Germany

Michał Borowik

Michał Borowik Collection – Warsaw, Poland

Bernardo Paz

Instituto Inhotim – Centro de Arte Contemporânea e Jardim Botânico – Brumadinho, Brazil

Tony Salamé

Aïshti Foundation – Beirut, Lebanon

Nadia & Rajeeb Samdani

Samdani Art Foundation (SAF), Dhaka, Bangladesh

Lord David Cholmondeley

Houghton Hall – King's Lynn, Great Britain

Galila Barzilaï-Hollander

Galila's P.O.C., Brussels, Belgium

Martin Margulies

The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse – Miami, United States of America

Christine and Andrew Hall

Hall Art Foundation - Reading, USA & Derneburg, Germany

Qiao Zhibing

TANK Shanghai and Qiao Space - Shanghai, China

Christen Sveaas

Kistefos Museet, Jevnaker, Norway

Noemi Givon

Givon Art Forum – Tel Aviv, Israel

Michael Buxton

Buxton Contemporary - Melbourne, Australia

Seth Stolbun

The Stolbun Collection – Houston, USA

Jochen Zeitz

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) - Cape Town, Africa

Dominique & Sylvain Levy

DSLCollection – Paris, France

Andrea von Goetz

Sammlung Blankenburg – Hamburg, Germany

Gordon Elliott

The Elliott Eyes Collection - Sydney, Australia

The Vague Space

Christian Kaspar Schwarm on the first solo presentation of his collection at the Weserburg Bremen

Anita Zabludowicz

Zabludowicz Collection – London, United Kingdom

Anastasios A. Gkekas

The Office Collection - Nicosia, Cyprus

Rik Reinking

WAI - Woods Art Institute, Wentorf bei Hamburg, Germany

Maria Didrichsen

Didrichsen Art Museum – Helsinki, Finland

João Carlos de Figueiredo Ferraz

Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz (IFF) - São Paulo, Brazil

Julia Stoschek

Julia Stoschek Collection – Dusseldorf, Germany

Maurizio Morra Greco

Fondazione Morra Greco, Naples, Italy

Christian & Karen Boros

Sammlung Boros – Berlin, Germany

Timo Miettinen

Salon Dahlmann – Berlin, Germany

Marli Hoppe-Ritter

Sammlung Marli Hoppe-Ritter – Waldenbuch, Germany

Désiré Feuerle

The Feuerle Collection – Berlin, Germany

Gudrun & Bernd Wurlitzer

Wurlitzer Pied A Terre Collection – Berlin, Germany

Corbett Lyon

Lyon Housemuseum – Melbourne, Australia

Geert Verbeke-Lens

Verbeke Foundation – Kemzeke, Belgium

László Vass

Vass Collection – Veszprém, Hungary

Daisuke Miyatsu

Dream House – Ichikawa, Japan

Samara Walbohm & Joe Shlesinger

Scrap Metal Gallery – Toronto, Canada

Charles Riva

Charles Riva Collection – Brussels, Belgium

Venke & Rolf Hoff

KaviarFactory – Lofoten, Norway

Alain Servais

Servais Family Collection – Brussels, Belgium

Ivo Wessel

Sammlung Ivo Wessel - Berlin, Germany

Vittorio Gaddi

Collezione Nunzia e Vittorio Gaddi – Lucca, Italy

Miguel Leal Rios

Fundação Leal Rios – Lisbon, Portugal

Gertraud and Dieter Bogner

Kunstraum Buchberg – Gars am Kamp, Austria

Bob Rennie

Rennie Collection at Wing Sang – Vancouver, Canada

Heiner Wemhöner

Sammlung Wemhöner – Herford, Germany

Lin Han

M WOODS – Beijing, China

Kenny Goss

The Goss-Michael Foundation – Dallas, USA

Karsten Schmitz

Arbeitswohnung Federkiel – Leipzig, Germany

Devon Dikeou

The Dikeou Collection - Denver, USA

Thomas Olbricht

ME Collectors Room Berlin/Stiftung Olbricht – Berlin, Germany

Mera & Donald Rubell

Rubell Family Collection – Miami, USA

Pétur Arason

Safn – Berlin, Germany / Reykjavík, Iceland

Steffen Hildebrand

G2 Kunsthalle – Leipzig, Germany

Frédéric de Goldschmidt

Frédéric de Goldschmidt – Brussels, Belgium

Daniel Teo

The Private Museum – Singapore, Singapore

Claudio Cosma

Sensus – Luoghi per l’arte Contemporanea – Florence, Italy

Michał Borowik

Michał Borowik Collection – Warsaw, Poland

Herbert Gerisch

Herbert-Gerisch-Stiftung - Neumünster, Germany

José Berardo

Museu Coleção Berardo – Lisbon, Portugal

Bärbel Grässlin and Karola Kraus

Sammlung Grässlin - St. Georgen, Germany

Joëlle and Eric Romba

Rocca Stiftung – Berlin, Germany

Myriam and Amaury de Solages

Maison Particulière – Brussels, Belgium

Friedrich Gräfling

Sammlung Fiede - Aschaffenburg, Germany