BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Timo Miettinen

Salon Dahlmann – Berlin, Germany

Timo Miettinen. Photo: Nick Ash
Timo Miettinen. Photo: Nick Ash

How important is having the title of “collector” to you?

It is not the title that’s important, it is the activity. I have a deep passion for art, and being able to acquire these objects of my passion is a pleasure to me. It also makes me happy to share this passion – it means much to me opening my collection to the public eye.

Does your collection follow a specific theme or particular artists?

There are two important basic components of my collection: painting and my Finnish roots. I started collecting classic paintings with my mother, always focused on Finnish artists. Over the years I have developed a specific taste in contemporary art and I have also opened up for other media like sculpture or photography – in an international context. But I will never forget to keep an eye on the contemporary Finnish art scene.

"You are just a Piece of Action“ (installation view), curated by Stephan Gripp. Courtesy Miettinen Collection, 2018. Photo: Nick Ash
"You are just a Piece of Action“ (installation view), curated by Stephan Gripp. Courtesy Miettinen Collection, 2018. Photo: Nick Ash
"You are just a Piece of Action“ (installation view), curated by Stephan Gripp. Courtesy Miettinen Collection, 2018. Photo: Nick Ash
"You are just a Piece of Action“ (installation view), curated by Stephan Gripp. Courtesy Miettinen Collection, 2018. Photo: Nick Ash

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

Mostly yes, getting to know artists is a very important issue regarding when acquiring a piece of art. I am very fascinated by artist personalities and like to visit studios as much as possible. Many of the artists in my collection turned out to be dear friends within the last years. Some of them – like for example Secundino Hernández, I followed closely over many years. His artworks fascinated me from the first sight and meanwhile Secundino is like family to me.

Is there an artwork that you love but can’t live with due to size, medium, or value?

Nearly all of my artworks fit to be lived with, regardless of size or value. I don’t want to lock art away in a stock or a safe. It should be seen.

In your opinion, what mistakes do young collectors make? And what mistakes did you make when first starting on your collecting journey?

Mistake is a harsh word. If you have a passion for art and collect due to this passion, there is no mistake to make. Acquiring an artwork should not be a matter of financial investment – it should make you happy and proud. Surely there are parts of my collection that I cannot identify with fully anymore, but collecting is a development. Taste develops with the years. As you say it is a journey and you need every station of this journey to reach the next one.

"You are just a Piece of Action“ (installation view), curated by Stephan Gripp. Courtesy Miettinen Collection, 2018. Photo: Nick Ash
"You are just a Piece of Action“ (installation view), curated by Stephan Gripp. Courtesy Miettinen Collection, 2018. Photo: Nick Ash

What has the reaction been like from visitors of your collection since making it publicly accessible? Does this reaction impact you and what you collect?

People enjoy visiting the exhibitions in the context of my collection. Public access is very important for me – art should not be kept secretly. Art is made to be looked at and talked about.

How has the attitude to collecting changed since you began?

My attitude has not changed, my taste has and my horizon has opened with every year of collecting.

Which publicly accessible private collection would you recommend visiting?

My recommendations to name just to name a few: Sammlung Hoffmann, Haubrok Projects, Boros Collection.

Courtesy Miettinen Collection, 2018

More Information on Salon Dahlmann

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

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

Ramin Salsali

Salsali Private Museum – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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