How did you begin collecting?
In 2003, I was introduced to Sir Norman Rosenthal from the Royal Academy in London. When I explained that my wife, Daphne, was then the collector—she focused on 20th-century design—Norman asked, “If you did collect, what would it be?” Since encountering a Rembrandt at age six, I’d sought them out in galleries, so I said, “I’d like a painting by Gerrit Dou, Rembrandt’s first pupil, but they’re probably all in museums.” Norman explained, “They don’t come up every day, but one can acquire them.” Months later, he told me about a dealer with an intriguing work. Despite being signed, it wasn’t firmly attributed to Dou because it’s painted on silvered copper, rather than wood panel. I viewed it and immediately recognized it as a Dou. That was my first painting.
How has your career influenced your collecting and vice versa?
I’m a firm believer in coincidence and made my fortune in silver with a discovery in Bolivia. Within months, another Dou came to me and I met the dealer Otto Naumann, and my wife and I started buying, on average, a painting a week for the next five years.
What was your very first collection, maybe as a child or a teenager?
When I was about 10, I bought my first coin—a sestertius of the Emperor Hadrian. The dealer gave me a book called “Roman Coins and Their Values.” It triggered a love of history that changed my life.
How do you live with your collection?
From 2003 to 2017, we created the only lending library of Old Masters—anonymously. We called it The Leiden Collection in homage to Rembrandt’s birthplace, though it spans the Dutch Golden Age. We revealed ourselves in 2017 with an exhibition at the Louvre encouraged by Arthur Wheelock of the National Gallery in Washington. He’d said, “It’s wonderful that you lend, but you have a unique study collection—you need a catalog.” At the opening I was asked, “How can you not live with even one of your Rembrandts?” Our attitude is, how can we?
What piece did you get for an especially good deal?
In the early days, I was buying Rembrandts for the price of a Warhol. It’s nothing against Warhol, but there are only 40 Rembrandt paintings in private hands versus thousands of Warhols.
Why is philanthropy important?
I lead a purpose-driven life. It’s how I approach business—I’ve been known as “gold’s evangelist” for 20 years—and my non-profit passions: wildlife conservation, promoting universal values through art, and saving cultural heritage in war zones. My wife comes from a family renowned for its philanthropy, so it’s second nature to her. The concept of biodiversity conservation was once viewed as niche. You had to lead by example, so that’s what we were known for first.
What tools of the trade do you use to build your collection?
I prefer going through dealers and private transactions with auction houses. Around half of our 220 paintings were bought privately versus at auction. When you have passion, decisiveness and can pay quickly, it’s a lethal combination.
Favorite city for art and why?
Going to Amsterdam, to the Rijksmuseum, is like a pilgrimage for me.
“It doesn’t take a genius to buy Rembrandt, it takes a genius to be Rembrandt.”
Most important art historical figure?
The Louvre exhibition pushed me to share a narrative I’d been privately harboring—the case for Rembrandt as the universal artist. The iconoclasm of his late period, in paint application, color and impressionism, reflected a novel ability to convey beauty and created a style that became such an influence, from Goya to Delacroix to Picasso to today. Van Gogh famously said that he could sit in front of “The Jewish Bride” for two weeks, just with water and bread. You see a genetic transmission from Rembrandt’s brush through to nearly all contemporary art, including artists from China to the UAE. He was the liberator.
What’s the best compliment someone has paid to your collection?
When I first met Emmanuel Macron, he said, “I saw what happened with your exhibition. If you’d been French, you might have beaten me for the presidency.” What I say is this: it doesn’t take a genius to buy Rembrandt, it takes a genius to be Rembrandt.
Best impulse buy?
During the financial crisis, I approached Steve Wynn to buy a Rembrandt self-portrait. Otto Naumann negotiated the deal, and Steve made it a condition that I also buy his Vermeer. I told Otto instantly, “Done.” And hence “Young Woman Seated at a Virginal” became part of The Leiden Collection.
Which collectors do you admire?
It’s always thrilled me that even after Steve Wynn’s eyesight deteriorated, he stayed a collector. After selling me his two most important Old Masters, he bought another Rembrandt.
What’s the piece that got away?
What was my holy grail is now in the collection: “Bust of a Bearded Old Man,” Rembrandt’s smallest painting. It’s spectacular. If it were a more typical size, it would be a billion-dollar painting. I’d coveted it for 15 years and, finally, the owner said, “Here’s the price”—apparently the highest price per square inch of any painting ever paid. I’ve never looked back.
What tips do you have for collectors just starting out?
Buy what you love and find people you trust. Get to know the auction houses and the dealers. I was lucky in my relationships, with George Wachter at Replica Shoes ’s, Ben Hall at Christie’s, and my triumvirate of dealers—Otto, Johnny Van Haeften and Salomon Lilian. Our collection could not have been built without their enthusiasm and commitment to my sense of mission.
Which piece doesn’t ‘fit’ in your collection but still works?
It’s a magnificent work that I’ve chosen to sell to benefit Panthera, the only global organization solely focused on the preservation of wild cats. Perhaps 20 years ago, before we had a Rembrandt painting, Otto called me up about a Rembrandt drawing of a lion—knowing that we don’t collect works on paper. There’s been nothing like it in the decades since. When I saw those eyes, I marveled at how Rembrandt could give more interior life to a cat than almost any artist can give to a human. I hope people will bid high, because every single dollar is going to conservation.
What exhibition are you looking forward to visiting?
The Leiden Collection is staging what is apparently the largest exhibition of privately held Dutch 17th-century paintings ever organized in the U.S., at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach through March. It’s the counterpart to a show at the H’ART Museum in Amsterdam earlier this year—featuring 17 Rembrandt paintings alone, it nearly doubled that city’s population of works by the artist. We’ve brought our Vermeer and Carel Fabritius too, and 60 more paintings. For me, it’s a pleasure because I almost never see them, and I hope that visitors come away with a greater understanding of how everyday life was celebrated during the Dutch Golden Age.
