Maria Brito on the Creative Act of Collecting

Can you tell us a bit about your collection and how you go about collecting for yourself?

I see so much art and have been in this industry for 13 years, so I have created certain parameters for myself. Most of the works I have bought moved me a lot when I first saw them—that is very important to me. It has to surprise me, excite me, interest me. It’s not about having something that everyone has, it is about that visual and emotional stimulation. I also ask myself, “What would this look like in 10 years? 20 years? Will I still be as excited to see this every day?”

I favor emerging artists but that is almost a misnomer these days—they are already so good in their early twenties, and then this crazy market blows their prices up, and you end up with a collection of young artists that have become insanely expensive in a short period of time. I almost never buy anything that is above $10,000, yet almost everything I have bought has grown in value 10 times or more.

I collect mostly paintings but I also have a couple of interesting photographs and sculptures. I love bold colors and vivid compositions with great narratives. I have mostly figurative works, many Black artists, many female artists. I love the backstories about how each piece made it into my collection, where they came from and why. That makes everything even more special to me.

What drives you to collect?

I am driven by many factors: beauty, aesthetics, owning a piece of culture, interesting narratives, intellectual stimulation, the excitement of discovery. There is also expression, not only of the artists, but mine. That is true of every collector: They express who they are through the work they own.