From Seattletimes · · 2m
Seattleites on ARTnews' global art buyer list
Eight Seattle-connected art collectors named in ARTnews' top 200 influential buyers.
In brief
Eight Seattle-connected art collectors named in ARTnews' top 200 influential buyers. Eight Seattle residents and former residents are among ARTnews' most influential global art buyers, including Jeff Bezos, Howard and Sheri Schultz, Melinda French Gates, and two philanthropist-collector couples. Originally reported by…
Seattle art buyers on ARTnews list
Eight prominent Seattleites and former Seattleites are listed among ARTnews' annual top 200 art collectors.
Jeff Bezos on list
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with a net worth of $370 billion, is listed among the world's most influential art buyers.
Schultz family on list
Howard and Sheri Schultz, Starbucks co-founders, are listed among the world's most influential art buyers.
Melinda French Gates on list
Melinda French Gates, businesswoman and philanthropist, is listed among the world's most influential art buyers.
Philanthropist-collector couples
Lisa Goodman and Josef Vascovitz, and Jon and Kim Richter Shirley, are philanthropist-collector couples on the list.
Goodman and Vascovitz
Goodman is a marketing executive at The Benaroya Company and Vascovitz is a nonprofit consultant and former Microsoft executive.
Goodman and Vascovitz's collection
The couple has donated works to Seattle Art Museum, including Betye Saar's 'Cage in the Beginning' and Barbara Earl Thomas' 'A Fire in the Landscape'.
Jon Shirley's relationship with SAM
Jon Shirley helped create Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park and has donated over a hundred artworks to Seattle Art Museum.
Bezos' art purchases
Bezos allegedly purchased Kerry James Marshall's 'Vignette 19' for $18.5 million and Ed Ruscha's 'Hurting the Word Radio #2' for $52.5 million.
Schultz family's art preferences
Howard Schultz prefers contemporary art but his buying habits are not well documented.
French Gates' art collection
Melinda French Gates, with a net worth of $34 billion, collects contemporary art after her divorce from Bill Gates.
ARTnews list details
ARTnews' list spans five continents and includes billionaires, luxury magnates, and notable names from various industries.
Art market trends
Ultra high net worth individuals allocate an average of 23% of their wealth to art despite representing a small fraction of global collectors.
What happens next
It remains to be seen how Bezos, French Gates, the Schultzes, and Goodman and Vascovitz will manage their art collections over time.
The short version
Eight Seattle residents and former residents are among ARTnews' most influential global art buyers, including Jeff Bezos, Howard and Sheri Schultz, Melinda French Gates, and two philanthropist-collector couples.
