During a very challenging time in Los Angeles after the devastating LA wildfires, Whitewall spoke to some of the city’s most devoted and perceptive art collectors, each of whom continues to support and champion the local and international art community in nuanced ways.
Angella Nazarian
Co-Founder of Visionary Women Nonprofit
Portrait courtesy of Angella Nazarian.
Angella Nazarian is the spirited Co-Founder and President of Visionary Women, a pioneering and Los Angeles-based non-profit women’s leadership organization. Further, Nazarian is an advisory board member of the Iranian American Women’s Leadership Conference. As a best-selling author and distinguished speaker, the visionary philanthropist is fiercely dedicated to advocating for women’s personal growth and leadership on an international scale.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
ANGELLA NAZARIAN: I have been a big fan of Tschabalala Self. The first time I saw her work at Art Basel, I felt she had a unique vocabulary and voice that she had brought into the creative world. We were so impressed that early on my husband and I bought a piece for the Hammer Museum and donated it. Last year, we got a piece for our own collection. The piece is called Bed. Once again we see her masterful technique of combining textiles and paint to create a compelling visual work.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
AN: I once asked my good friend, who happens to have been collecting the most important artists for the past 4 decades, how she managed to build such a stellar collection. She had the best answer: ‘Just imagine you wanted to look for the best tasting pizza. The way to do that is keep tasting different pizzas until you understand what sets a great pizza apart from others. It’s the same with art.’ I believe we need to translate that passion for art by understanding it, by experiencing it up close, and by going to artist studios. Being a part of a collectors community or museum helps. Personally, what I have learned from curators and artist friends and collectors has been invaluable. Collecting is a personal experience and should also reflect your taste and way of life.
Nicolas Berggruen
Founder and Chairman of the Berggruen Institute
Portrait of Nicolas Berggruen, 2024, photo by Marianne Andres.
Ever-inspiring Nicolas Berggruen is the Founder and Chairman of the Berggruen Institute, a transformational and forward-thinking endeavor in human sciences which continues to flourish in Los Angeles, Beijing, and Venice. In addition, the cultural leader founded Berggruen Arts and Culture in 2021, powerfully strengthening ties in the contemporary art landscape between past and present, East and West. Berggruen serves on the prestigious boards of Museum Berggruen, Berlin, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
NICOLAS BERGGRUEN: A painting by LA artist Mike Kelley.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
NB: Collect with your eyes.
Stefan Simchowitz
Collector, Art Dealer, and Entrepreneur
Portrait courtesy of Stefan Simchowitz.
The perceptive Stefan Simchowitz is widely known for supporting emerging, contemporary creatives at vital moments in their artistic career. With a unique, personal approach to the art of collecting, the LA-based Simchowitz acts deftly as a collector, dealer and artist advocate. His work and passion for the industry as a whole has initiated vital dialogue on the commercialization of art and the ever-evolving relationship between artists and the global marketplace.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
STEFAN SIMCHOWITZ: Julio Rhizi an artist from Zimbabwe who makes dimensional works from plastic, rope and wire.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
SS: I try not to give advice. It’s bad for business. Come to my Altadena/Pasadena space and see some art. DM me.
Jason Swartz
Founder of Alliance Talent, Art Collector, Museum Supporter
Portrait courtesy of Jason Swartz.
LA and Milan-based Jason Swartz is the tech and media-savvy founder of Alliance Talent, as well as a profound art collector. Building on his innate sense of kinship with artists, Swartz has established meaningful friendships with the contemporary art community in Los Angeles, offering sincere mentorship. Swartz’s ever-growing personal collection includes works by artists Christopher Wool, Cecily Brown, Vaughn Spann, Michaela Yearwood-Dan, and Anna Park. His history of donating work by the likes of Tschabalala Self to MOCA, Los Angeles, during his time on MOCA’s Acquisition Committee, was followed by generous donations to The Hammer Museum, the Perez Art Museum Miami, and many more.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
JASON SWARTZ: A large-scale Sabine Moritz.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
JS: Don’t buy anything significant the first 6-12 months, especially if you haven’t read the artist’s bio. Pick works, keep track, and see if 6-12 later months you still love them. Collecting is about the journey, developing your eye and the connection to work. If you collect for more than a spontaneous aesthetic reaction or decoration you’ll love the journey all the more.
Kulapat Yantrasast, PhD
Founder, Managing Principal, and Creative Director of WHY Architecture
Portrait courtesy of Kulapat Yantrasast.
The soulful and eminent architect Kulapat Yantrasast was born in Bangkok and holds M.Arch and PhD degrees in Architecture from the renowned University of Tokyo. After completing his studies, the visionary worked alongside Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando, spearheading a myriad of vital cultural endeavors such as The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. In 2004, Yantrasast unveiled the WHY Architecture workshop in Los Angeles, and in turn The Grand Rapids Art Museum was the platform’s inaugural, ground-up museum project.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
KULAPAT YANTRASAST: The new painting I just got and love seeing it in my venice home is from Theodore Boyer, larger than life!
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
KY: Ask yourself 3 times! Is it good? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
Dr. V. Joy Simmons, MD
Art Collector, Philanthropist, and Recently Retired Physician at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center
Portrait courtesy of Dr. V. Joy Simmons, MD.
Dr. V. Joy Simmons, MD is an enthusiastic art collector, devoted philanthropist, and has recently retired from an illustrious career as a physician at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. She has sincerely supported artists of African descent as well as creatives who find deep inspiration in Black culture. Dr. Simmons is an inspiring mentor for new art collectors, and recently served as the skillful Senior Art and Exhibition Advisor for the public art endeavor Destination Crenshaw in Los Angeles.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
DR. V. JOY SIMMONS, MD: One work that I’ve had for a couple of years but still feels fairly recent is Vanessa German‘s Power Figure to Protect Innocence. Vanessa is an incredible self-taught artist whose practice has grown to include a variety of forms including sculpture, photography, and installations. The work I acquired is a sculpture that is made from cotton, glass bottles, cloth, twine, astroturf, sea shells, buttons, cowrie shells, amongst other materials.
This work is special in so many ways, and I just love how she describes it. I can’t do it justice by summarizing it so, I’ll share her own words: “The spirit of innocence, love and light heart, cotton, glass bottles, cloth, twine, astroturf, the pain of being adultified when you are just a child and dark-skinned and no one protects you even though you are fragile and gentle and full of light, love, sea shells, buttons, cowrie shells, a knife to do the protecting, keys, forgiveness, clear quartz, glass teardrops, beaded rhinestone trim, the power of mother love, the blood and gift of your ancestors, wire, white prayer beads for peace and love, wood, sweetness in hand, kisses of light to the heart, being vulnerable and being ok with this because the truth feels so good, love, love, goodness, being human and knowing that you are, justice, sweetness, sweetness, sweetness. Love.”
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
VJS: I always say, collect what you love! And I’m going to say it again. I try to demystify the idea that you need to have “extraordinary means” to acquire work. I encourage young collectors to continue looking, asking questions, and finally acquiring work that speaks to them. What is most important is to trust your instincts and buy what you love.
Additionally, I am a strong believer and supporter of younger artists because it makes a big difference in their career, and it is more fun and exciting to discover talent. I don’t want to be told who to buy or when to buy them. I have learned to trust my instincts!
“I tell people all the time, your HOME, be it a dorm room, apartment, or estate, should reflect YOU. It is your sanctuary.”
— Dr. V. Joy Simmons
Also, it’s equally important to support younger and promising gallerists. The entire ecosystem has to be supported for the culture to grow and be great! In my collection, I don’t look at the “preciousness” of the work or “who is important.” I display work that moves me in the moment. I tell people all the time, your HOME, be it a dorm room, apartment, or estate, should reflect YOU. It is your sanctuary. Displaying the work should not be an intimidating thing. We are all “curators” in one way or another. Daily, we decide and make decisions on what we wear, how we look, and how we live. Our lived spaces and the art we put in them are no different.
Chelsea Rana
Founder of Chelsea Rana Art Advisory
Portrait courtesy of Chelsea Rana.
Chelsea Rana has become widely known for her momentous support of artists at critical junctures in their careers. She radiantly serves as a trustee of Eighth House Residency, an interdisciplinary, non-transactional, and restorative arts residency located in Vermont. She enthusiastically lends her support to valued art institutions including the Hammer, the Museum of Latin American Art, ICA Miami, TWO x TWO, and LACMA. Within the beloved LACMA, Rana has generously contributed to AHAN, the emerging acquisitions committee, and the Future Arts Council.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
CHELSEA RANA: My next acquisition will be a work by Erin Wright. I first discovered her work during her residency at Quinn Emanuel, directed by Alexis Hyde, and was immediately drawn to her compositions. Her paintings are so meticulously executed that they appear digitally rendered, creating a fascinating tension between the handmade and the hyperreal.
Her upcoming exhibitions with MAKI Gallery, Anat Ebgi, and Sow & Tailor—galleries I deeply respect—highlight her rising influence. Her current series, exploring the painstaking process of Bonsai cultivation and its connection to modern vanity, is both conceptually rich and visually stunning. Every piece in the series is remarkable, and I can’t wait to live with one.
Erin Wright, “Bachelor No. 2,” 2025, Courtesy of the artist, Mason Kuehler, and MAKI Gallery.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
CR: For anyone beginning their collecting journey, my advice is simple: immerse yourself in as much art as you can. Even engaging with works that don’t immediately appeal to you will deepen your understanding of what truly resonates with you, both in the moment and over time.
Take the time to visit your local museums, and once you find the one that sparks the most connection, consider joining one of their patron groups. These groups offer invaluable insight—not just into art you might collect, but also into broader aspects of the art world that enhance your overall understanding. You’ll gain access to unique opportunities, such as studio visits with artists and private collection tours with seasoned collectors, offering a rare glimpse into how people live with art over time.
Visit as many galleries as you can. While they may feel intimidating at first, the people who work there are eager to help you understand—and even acquire—the works that intrigue you.
Be patient with the process—building a collection is a journey, and it’s not one to rush. The art world is exciting and evolving, and your tastes will change as you grow your collection.
Finally, working with an art advisor is a great way to fast-track your journey into the world of collecting, and will provide you with a more personal and curated experience.
Lizzie Grover Rad
Designer, Founder & Creative Director of Grover Rad Studio
Sean and Lizzie Grover Rad.
Lizzie Grover Rad is a formally trained interior architect and designer with a BFA from George Washington University. An entrepreneur from the start, Grover Rad launched her first company, Hutch, while in college making a million dollars in revenue before graduation. Focused on taking the antiquated and expensive interior design industry online, she and her co-founders went on to raise over $18 million dollars in Silicon Valley venture capital valuing the company at $50 million. As Chief Creative Officer, Grover Rad led a team of over a 100 designers around the world providing fast and affordable design.
In 2018, Lizzie left Hutch to pursue traditional interior design with her own design studio. Her love for fashion has always played a big role in her life, which led her to start her namesake brand in 2022. Lizzie tapped her former Hutch co-founder and CEO, Beatrice Fischel-Bock, to join Grover Rad as her business partner. Lizzie leads Grover Rad as its founder and creative director based in Los Angeles. Lizzie is originally from Richmond, VA and currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Sean Rad, and their dog, Minnie.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
LIZZIE GROVER RAD: A self-portrait by Danielle Mckinney.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
LGR: Take your time to learn and explore as you start collecting. Like anything, discovering what you love is a process. Our motto is: If it’s not a fuck yes, then it’s a fuck no.
