Inside the Collections of 4 Leading New York Art Patrons

During a buzzing week of New York art fairs, join Whitewall in getting to know the city’s most perceptive New York collectors. Each visionary imparts their sensational new acquisitions, as well as their wise advice on building an ever-evolving, meaningful collection.

Victoria Rogers

Strategy Leader at Autodesk

At Autodesk, Victoria Rogers, leads a strategy team for the COO organization. She has also been an Advisor at X [Google X], where she focused on generative AI, and as the Director of Arts at Kickstarter, where she raised over $9M for over 200 cultural projects from more than 90K people. Victoria holds an MBA from Stanford University, an MFA in Industrial and Civic Service Design from Parsons School of Design, and a BA in Art History from Yale University.

Victoria is a board member of the Brooklyn Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Terra Foundation, and co-chair and co-founder of the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums. She serves as an Impact Fellow with BAG VC, where she is researching and developing strategies to reduce bias in AI.

WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?

VICTORIA ROGERS: I recently acquired a work by Jill Magid from her series focused on the archive of Luis Barragán. The piece frames an image of his work within a book on his practice, cleverly calling attention to and circumventing the limits put on showing images from his archive (currently owned by Swiss furniture company Vitra). Jill is a genius. 

WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?

VR: My advice is to get involved with an institution, and learn about what art you like and which artists you admire through curators, talks, and archival catalogues. Art is a reflection of our current moment and it shows us what might be possible: Support artists who have values you look up to. 

“Support artists who have values you look up to,”

Victoria Rogers

Jon Gray

Co-Founder of Ghetto Gastro

Jon Gray is the co-founder of Ghetto Gastro, the Bronx-born culinary collective reshaping food as a cultural force. Blending his roots with a background in fashion and design, Gray creates immersive experiences that challenge narratives and celebrate the Bronx’s global influence. A TED speaker and Civic Practice Artist in Residence at The Met, he also guest-curated “Jon Gray of Ghetto Gastro Selects” at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, exploring Afrofuturist themes.

WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?

JON GRAY: Cornelius Tulloch, Maven (2023), painting and mixed media collage on wood panel.

Christine Mack

Philanthropist and Art Collector

Christine Mack is a New York–based philanthropist, art collector, and advocate for mental health and the arts. Born in the Philippines and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, she moved to New York at 18 to attend Parsons School of Design, earning a degree in Graphic Design and Advertising. Christine began her career at Hearst Publications before founding her own design firm, where she worked with cultural institutions and nonprofit organizations.

A passionate supporter and collector of contemporary art, she is the founder of the Mack Art Foundation, which runs a residency program supporting emerging artists. The foundation also supports artists through scholarships, awards, and funding initiatives. She also co-founded Space2Create, a curatorial platform that transforms vacant commercial spaces into public art exhibitions.

Christine serves on the boards and committees of several prominent cultural institutions, including the Guggenheim Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, the AKG Museum in Buffalo, The Jewish Museum, and American Friends of Moderna Museet. Her philanthropic work extends to children’s mental health, as a board member of the Child Mind Institute and an advocate for the Partnership to End Addiction. 

WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?

CHRISTINE MACK: One of the most recent acquisitions that I am excited about is a large -scale painting by the artist George Rouy, who is a London-based artist that is the youngest artist to be represented by Hauser & Wirth. Rouy fuses gender and race into a fluid figurative landscape, creating a contemporary voice of his own.

WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?

CM: My advice for aspiring collectors is to immerse yourself in art as much as possible. Visit galleries, museums, artist studios, and art fairs—pay attention to what moves you and sparks a connection. Once you begin to understand what resonates, start reading platforms like Artnet, Cultured, and other art publications to stay engaged with what’s happening in the art world. Most importantly, take your time. Starting slowly allows your collection to grow organically, alongside your knowledge and personal vision. The first painting I ever purchased is still one of my favorites—it holds deep meaning for me because it marked the beginning of my journey as a collector.

“Starting slowly allows your collection to grow organically,”

 Christine Mack

Carl Gambino

Luxury Real Estate Advisor and Art Collector

Known as the “silent closer,” Carl Gambino runs a $2B business and has been the go-to for celebrity clients selling homes, including Jessica Chastain, J. Lo, Mark Wahlberg, and more. Gambino is also an art influencer on emerging talents, and has amassed a collection ranging from Latin American, queer, and female artists such as Cait Porter, Claudia Keep, and Alejandro Piñero Bello. 

Beyond collecting, Gambino is a modern-day patron, connecting high-net-worth clients with emerging artists, funding studio spaces, and supporting arts initiatives, including underwriting an exhibit at MOCAD. Today, his collection boasts over 100 works, including pieces by Robert Nava, Brice Guilbert, Charlotte Keates, Dan Miller, Cynthia Talmadge, Jo Messer, Sholto Blisset, Caroline Absher, Kate Pincus Whitney, John McAllister, Yvette Mayorga, Cait Porter, Claudia Keep, and Alejandro Piñero Bello.

WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?

CARL GAMBINO: I recently acquired a work by a young abstract painter named Sarah Martin-Nuss represented by Uffner & Liu Gallery. I first discovered her on Instagram and was immediately captivated by the way she evokes the movement of water—delicate currents interwoven with organic, almost ethereal forms. Her work has a dreamlike, immersive quality that stayed with me. I followed her closely for nearly two years, watching each of her shows sell out almost instantly. When her most recent exhibition opened, demand was so high the gallery had to carefully allocate the pieces. After a long wait, I was thrilled to finally receive the call that one of her works had been offered to me. It was a gratifying moment, where persistence and passion came together perfectly.

WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?

CG: Being a true collector is more than a hobby—it’s a way of life. Once you start, it becomes part of you. My best advice is to immerse yourself in art as much as possible. The more time you spend with it, the more clarity you’ll gain about your own tastes, values, and instincts as a collector. 

“Being a true collector is more than a hobby—it’s a way of life,”

Carl Gambino

There’s an ocean of beauty and talent out there—some already known, and so much still waiting to be discovered. Build relationships with artists and dealers. Support them in any way you can, using the strengths and resources you have. Learn what other collectors are acquiring, stay engaged with what museums are acquiring, and talk to art advisors. But above all—buy what you love. Never chase hype. Authentic passion is what builds a meaningful collection.