SARA HARRISON
How did you begin collecting both art and design?
JACKIE SOFFER
I first started collecting art about 20 years ago. I was very friendly with Norman and Irma Braman, who are big Miami collectors, and they asked me to join the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami. Then Norman asked me to create a public art program at the Aventura Mall. And that was really when I started collecting personally.
Then, when I met my husband, I learned about collectible design. Because of Design Miami and us traveling to Basel every year, it was a quick immersion into the design world. And I actually probably enjoy collecting design more than I do collecting art.
SH Why is that?
JS Because you use it every day and I would say it’s much more accessible. For the most part, the markets don’t get as inflated as the art market. And I just enjoy living with it. We sleep on a bed by Gio Ponti. Our design pieces are actively used daily.
SH And Craig, how about you? How did you get started?
CRAIG ROBINS
When I was 19 years old, I spent my junior year of college in Spain. First in Madrid, and then in Barcelona, and that’s when I really got interested in art. I went to Madrid’s Prado museum and then, living in Barcelona for a couple semesters, I discovered Goya, Dalí, Miró, Picasso. I didn’t have resources, but I began to collect modestly.
SH So, you both have these autonomous histories of collecting, but how does it work now? Is it something you do together?
JS We do both. We collect together and separately. We each have collections at our real-estate properties, and again in our hotels we have collectible design. And then we have what we live with at home, which we switch out from time to time.
SH And I’m curious, when you said you enjoy collecting design more, do you see the design and art collections as two separate strands, or do you see it as one holistic thing?
CR I see it as very complimentary. A lot of people that collect art just have very ordinary furniture. As Jackie mentioned, design is functional, while the art is more pure creative expression. I think the combination of the two really enhances the experience of being in an environment.
SH I read about your approach to collecting art, that you have created these lineages. For example, you started with young Californian artists, which led you to John Baldessari, which in turn led you to Marcel Duchamp. Do you have the same approach with design?
CR With design, I am interested in historical material as well as contemporary material. As a collector looking at things, what you see ends up influencing what you do.
SH I know you have chosen to collect in depth the work of certain artists. And, in art, that approach is a mark of seriousness. Is that something that design collectors tend to pursue as well?
CR I would say, yes. For the most part, I collect design because I have pieces that I can use somehow. And when it comes to art, I’m willing to collect and store more, and change it around more often. But I think that the combination of the two really makes the environment exciting. Even in our projects in the Miami Design District, you can walk around and see iconic design pieces, like Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome [1979/80–2014] or an incredible installation by the Bouroullec brothers, and then there are two billboards by John Baldessari, a bus stop by Urs Fischer. So, it becomes an outdoor museum of art, architecture and design. Combining things in this way is something that interests me.
SH Do you have any advice for people just setting out collecting design?
JS Our situation is, of course, a little bit different because Craig owned Design Miami, so we had access to all the top dealers in the world. We seek advice from the people that we know in the business — whether it’s what they collect or what they sell. I think you need some guidance, and you need to have knowledge of what you’re doing.
CR Just going to Design Miami, or the fairs in Basel or Paris, is a perfect way to get initial experience with design. You can see lots of different material, both limited-edition contemporary design and historical pieces, in the same environment.
I agree with Jackie, it’s beneficial, no matter how sophisticated you are, to get some advice and to have someone guiding you through the process.
SH Are there young designers you’re particularly excited about right now?
CR Yes. For the last few years, I’ve been collecting the work of Samuel Ross. We commissioned him to do all the public benches throughout the Design District and I’ve got several great works by him in our offices. Then, every year for the holidays, instead of putting up Christmas lights, we commission a designer to do a neighborhood-wide project. This last year we invited Lara Bohinc, who made 900 birdhouses for the trees and seating areas throughout the neighborhood. It looked fantastic.
SH Lastly, I came across a great quote from you, Craig, “Art and design are the frontiers from which mankind advances.” I wonder if you could elaborate on that?
CR When you really have important art or design, a creative person is coming up with some new expression that is going to influence the future, the next generations, and it will change the way we perceive things. I see that as a frontier from which mankind advances and that’s why I’m interested in art and design.
Craig Robins is the founder and CEO of Dacra and co-founder of Design Miami.
Jackie Soffer is the chairman and CEO of Turnberry.
Sara Harrison is a freelance editor. She lives in London, UK.
