Mugrabi goes for Warhol, Sheikha Al Mayassa's loves Islamic Art

Many of the world’s top collectors today come from different backgrounds, but what they have in common is their passion for art! 

Jose Mugrabi, a powerful Israeli collector, owns probably the world's biggest collection of Andy Warhol’s paintings almost 800 of them - apart from works by Rodin, Ernst, Daumier, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Renoir and Picasso.

No other art buyer has capitalized on the iconic artist’s appeal than Mr. Mugrabi. Dealers and auction houses can rarely sell or buy a Warhol work sans his knowledge and intervention in form of active bidding.

Along with his two sons, this former cloth merchant from Colombia has fostered his love for art. The patriarch has the final say on all business and art related matters. His younger son David is known to be a quiet and practical person, whereas Alberto or ‘Tico’ is a gregarious jetsetter. Born in 1939 into a humble Jewish family, the son of a grocer and also the eldest of seven, Jose Mugrabi spent his early days as an errand boy for a fabric firm. He never went to college, and learnt the tricks of textile business on his own. He started a company that imported wholesale fabric during the 1970s.

For the record, Jose Mugrabi never met the late artist personally. He spotted him once - at a restaurant in New York in 1985, even before he had begun collecting his work. Curiously, at that time he hardly knew anything about the painter. Were Warhol still alive, he avers, he would sure come over to meet me…

On the other hand, the young and progressive propelling force behind Qatar's quest to become a foremost destination for the arts & culture in the Middle East, the daughter of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikha Al Mayassa chairs the Qatar Museum’s Authority board. Her vision is to create a solid base for the Islamic Art tradition, even while promoting contemporary artists in an effort to link past and present, East and West. Harboring a passion to foster intercultural relations and give voice to people from every strata of life, she focuses on community interaction and participation, involvement and engagement.

Art+Auction has already named her among the most powerful persons in the world of art. In fact, she has been purchasing art in institutional and individual capacity, and is considered a major force behind the Qatar Museum’s acquisitions including Rothkos, Warhols etc, and also many in Doha's three national museums. She believes that art and culture play a significant role in creating a country's identity, and let every country share its identity with the outside world. The avid art collector quips: ‘We (obviously) don't want to be all the same, but (we) do wish to understand each other."