In Vested Interests: From Passion to Patronage. The AbdulMagid Breish Collection of Arab Art

AbdulMagid Breish describes his journey and how he became an art collector, as well as his passionate belief that any collector bears a cultural responsibility to support his regional and local art scene: in his case, the Arab world and Libya in particular. Breish also offers a frank assessment of the pitfalls of investing in art from a part of the world where provenance issues can often arise, yet he describes how building connections within the artworld can mitigate this. From auction houses to galleries, to the artists themselves, he is especially keen on fostering relationships to increase personal involvement. In his case, his friendship with various artists has led to commissioning artworks directly and inspiring artistic practice indirectly. Breish’s approach is novel, yet it provides young collectors with an alternative strategy for collecting and offers advice for what to look out for and avoid, as well as how to progress within the stages of collecting to become a full-fledged patron of the arts.