Fabio Frasca

How did you become an art collector?
Looking back at my past, I honestly do not even remember how I ended up in the world of art. I had no friends in the business, I have not studied art at school or anything related. I have always been a curious person and an observer of the world in general and perhaps it is this that has led me to approach the world of art in the first place. The transition from being an art lover to being an art collector was pretty straightforward: I suddenly realised that seeing art was no longer enough, I felt the need to own it.

How would you describe yourself as an art collector?
I am a dynamic and contemporary collector in the real sense of the words. I read, buy, travel and I enjoy all the aspects that this world has to offer.

What was the first artwork you purchased?
I remember that day very well: I was wearing a white linen shirt, Rayban, shorts and brown sports shoes. Smiling on the way home like any guy, who had just got back from an aperitif with friends by the sea, and yet I was happy because I had just brought home a lithograph by Giorgio De Chirico. 

What is the main motivation behind your collecting?
I collect for myself. Collecting art is like writing your own history. 

Describe your collection in three words.
Personal, different, contemporary.

Is there any particular type of art that appeals to you or anything that unites all the works in your collection?
I am attracted to all that surprises me. When I choose an artwork for my collection, I do not dwell whether it is a painting, a card, or a video. If I like it, I just take it and that is all. I think the true collector should not be limited to the space available at home, the colour of his/her apartment, whether he/she has children, but it must also give a different point of view of his/her collection.

What considerations do you take into account before you buy a piece of art?
I am quite impulsive when choosing artworks, but at the same time before I buy something, I enjoy ‘studying’ the artist, see whom he/she works with and try to understand what he/she is trying to achieve with it. I do not like to be influenced by the trend of the moment, but I most certainly do not spend money without knowing whom I am buying.

What do you enjoy the most: The hunt associated with collecting art or the joy of ownership?
Definitely ‘hunting’ for fine art. I like to keep myself informed and try to discover a young artist before anyone else does and before he/she is ‘consecrated’ by the world of art.

How important is it for you to meet the artist behind the artwork?
Not essential, but important. I have often known artists whose works I wanted to buy, but in the end I did not and vice versa. Very often, if you know the artist, this might influence the way you see his/her work, in either a positive or negative way.

Do you have a desire to have your collection shown?
Not at the moment, I consider my collection still not mature enough and intimate. Perhaps there will be something in the future.

What are the wishes for the future of your collection? What would you like to see happen to it?
I hope that it will ‘grow up’ with me. Most artworks in my collection are from young and contemporary artists, so there is not a better wish than to see them climbing, with my support, their way to success in this challenging but yet inspiring world.

What work of art do you wish you owned if the price tag did not matter?
Him by Maurizio Cattelan, Les demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso and Five Car Stud by Edward Kienholz.

How do you know when you stand before a really great piece of art?
It is the artwork itself that tells you. Often you do not have to be a collector or a dealer to understand that you stand in front of a masterpiece. You just know it!

What is the best advice you have given or been given in terms of art collecting?
Think with your head and follow your own instinct and judgement. Remember, the farmer will always want to sell you vegetables and the butcher will always want to sell you meat… only you know what you wish to eat!