We’re Living in a Moment for ‘Great Art’ Creation, Says Collector Valeria Napoleone

After more than three decades of collecting, Valeria Napoleone isn’t changing her perspective.

The Italian art collector, whose self-estimated 580-piece collection consists primarily of female artists, has moved around and currently calls New York City home, but has a broadstroke view on her art assemblage ahead of her 60th birthday later this year.

“I rotate and change things quite often,” she said. “I want to live with my art, and when you change a piece, it resets the room.”

Sculpture is a particular focus for Napoleone, who’s helped elevate a range of emerging female sculptors over the past decade through her collaboration with SculptureCenter in New York.

Her ongoing collecting includes creators such as Italian artist Margherita Manzelli, Dutch painter Lily van der Stokker and German artist Nicole Wermers.

Napoleone is also the co-chair of New York University’s President’s Global Council and funds an annual professor role at the intersection of art and gender studies. Her homes in New York and London are revolving testaments to support of female-created and female-powered art, and she teased an upcoming project in Milan that will be another significant moment to showcase portions of her collection.

“What I buy in the U.S. mainly stays here, and it’s the same in the U.K. and Europe, but my largest storage area is in the U.K.,” she said.

Napoleone’s prominent role as a voice for female artists, both emerging and established, comes at a moment when new channels of accessibility and growth for these artists are being challenged by rollbacks in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in higher education alongside a general overall slowdown in the art market.

Mansion Global caught up with Napoleone on a video call while she was at her New York City residence.

Mansion Global: How do you stay motivated to find emerging female artists to add to your collection?

Valeria   Napoleone: Sometimes, I feel like, “do I need another piece?” I want to contribute, and always be impactful with what I do. I like to collect artists in the middle of their career, and the motivation is just to support and be impactful.

It’s important to give to the artist to make a difference, and as a collector sometimes I think ‘no, I don’t need another one,’ but it’s not an option to not continue collecting.

Is there an artist you haven’t collected yet, but would like to?

(American sculptor) Cady Noland. In the mid-1990s, women were trying new languages across art, and I found that very inspiring. Cady is the godmother of that generation, and her work isn’t only rare, but it’s also very expensive. I also don’t have to own everything in life, and her work might be something I can admire from a distance.

You once mentioned that you ‘generally only buy pieces that contribute massively to contemporary discourse.’ How do you define that portion of the discourse?

Our family’s agenda is to bring together exceptional female artists. Some are political, some are formal, but each of them have their own voice. I don’t look at this in terms of gender politics, but rather with new languages and new ideas.

I want to be surprised by the way the artist takes me into the issues. It’s a very personal reaction, but it has to tick boxes. I buy what I deeply connect to.

As an active member of leadership within higher education, are you concerned about how active attacks on DEI and similar initiatives might affect the accessibility and growth of female artists?

I think female artists have resilience. They’ve been totally ignored forever, and if anything this moment will make them more eager to get their voice out there. Usually, great art comes from moments of crisis and significance because there’s this sense of urgency. Female artists have been suffering forever, and they will continue to work and be recognized.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.