Miami’s art ecosystem is powered not only by its world-class museums and ever-expanding lineup of fairs each December, but also by the passionate collectors who support, nurture, and help define the city’s creative pulse. From conceptual champions and design-driven tastemakers to patrons uplifting emerging voices and supporting institutional growth, these seven collectors offer a window into the evolving cultural fabric of South Florida. Their perspectives on acquiring, discovering, and living with art reveal a city where curiosity and commitment fuel a vibrant, international conversation.
Whitewall had the opportunity to speak to each collector about the works inspiring them now, the exhibitions they won’t miss, and the artists driving Miami’s cultural momentum.
Chloe Berkowitz
Founder of Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation
Courtesy of Chloe Berkowitz.
Who: Chloe Berkowitz is the founder and president of Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation and a longtime advocate of the arts.
Focus: Contemporary with a heavy focus on conceptual.
Location: Miami.
Began collecting: 14 years ago.
First piece: Richard Serra’s Passage of Time.
Most recent: A painting by Yuan Fang.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
CHLOE BERKOWITZ: A painting from a new and emerging artist, Yuan Fang, titled Fire in the Chest. There is an undeniable force behind her composition and beauty to the artist’s storytelling.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
CB: When making a decision, falling in love with a piece and that initial connection will always reign supreme. You’ll never regret investing in a work of art that speaks to you.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at Art Basel Miami?
CB: I’m particularly excited about a Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation exhibition that will be open to the public during the week. We will be activating works from our permanent collection—a meaningful moment for our team. We’re honored to collaborate with the incredible team at DACRA and world-renowned artist Rashid Johnson to reintroduce these pieces to the community.
WW: What are the exhibitions in Miami you won’t miss?
CB: It’s always exciting to seek out what’s new to the scene; like the Milanese design fair, Alcova, or unexpected activations and collaborations. Art Week tends to become a treasure hunt, which I love.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
CB: For me, choosing one artist is almost like asking someone to choose just one song—it really depends on the day and my mood.
Jack and Tara Benmeleh
Miami-based Collectors
Courtesy of Jack and Tara Benmeleh.
Who: Jack and Tara Benmeleh are Miami-based collectors whose vision bridges contemporary art, design, and culture. They are guided by curiosity, intellect, and a deep appreciation for artists’ processes; their collection spans emerging and established voices.
Focus: Contemporary with a positive and happy frequency.
Location: Miami
Began collecting: 15 years ago.
First piece: By a Miami street artist in Wynwood.
Most recent: A work by Ana Benaroya.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
JACK AND TARA BENMELEH: A work by Sayre Gomez. It is a vast nightscape in the Hollywood Hills with beautiful apocalyptic lighting, electrifying a restaurant sign for King Taco. At first, it seems like a humble invisible signifier of a strip mall, but really, it’s akin to heavenly anointed royalty. Our last name in Hebrew means Son of a King.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
JB&TB: Collections are built from the emotional connection that resonates between you and the work, not market momentum. Spend time visiting galleries, artist studios, and museums. Also, ask questions and learn what moves you and why. Don’t be shy, the art world loves talking about art and why it’s so powerful.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at Untitled Art, Miami Beach?
JB&TB: Participating in the Jury for Acquisitions Prizes.
WW: What are the exhibitions in Miami you won’t miss?
JB&TB: Joyce Pensato and Andreas Schulze at the ICA.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
JB&TB: Lauren Quin. She challenges our understanding of abstraction while exploring the mutability of language and symbol. Her paintings feel like microcosms or independent universes of abstraction and mark-making.
John Marquez
Real Estate Developer, Investor, and Restaurateur
Courtesy of John Marquez; Photography by Kevin Beltran.
Who: An avid collector of contemporary art, Marquez focuses on living artists, with a passion for championing emerging and Miami-based talents.
Focus: Well-known artists like Banksy and KAWS, and has grown to over 1000 diverse global contemporary artists and mid-century designers.
Location: Miami.
Began Collecting: 15 years ago.
First Piece: A work by KAWS.
Most Recent: A work by Mannat Gandotra.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
JOHN MARQUEZ: One work I’m particularly excited about is a recent acquisition by Laís Amaral. Her practice deals with cultural transformation, building and excavating surfaces to reveal textures and layers of the past, which feels especially resonant right now.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
JM: Build relationships early and lean into your resources. In a more cautious market, a trusted network of gallerists, curators, and other collectors will give you an edge and create a lasting impact on your collection.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at Art Basel?
JM: I always look forward to discovering mid-tier or adjacent to emerging artists I may not yet know, and seeing how the local Miami scene evolves each year. I’m also interested to see how both the main and satellite fairs respond to bring new perspectives to the forefront.
WW: What are the exhibitions in Miami you won’t miss?
JM: Joyce Pensato at ICA Miami.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
JM: I’m particularly excited about Kat Lyons. We are honored to open Lyons’s first US solo institutional exhibition, “Full Earth,” on December 1, 2025, at Marquez Art Projects. The exhibition comprises a suite of newly commissioned paintings that examine the ecosystems of Florida and specifically the Everglades, which is so close to home for us.
Maky Hinson
Collector, Founder of Workout.com
Courtesy of Maky Hinson.
Who: Maky Hinson was born and raised in Colombia, where art, architecture, and design were always part of my world. Inspired by her architect dad, she grew up with a deep love for creativity and beautiful things.
Focus: My collection is a mix of contemporary, early American painters, and late 19th-century Symbolism. I like works with a big emotional punch.
Location: I’m based in Miami Beach.
Began Collecting: 16 years ago.
First piece: A work on paper by Yoshitomo Nara.
Most recent: A painting by French artist Pol Taburet.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
MAKY HINSON: A pair of Yoshitomo Nara works that I bought in Tokyo. I was there on an unrelated work trip and literally stumbled into the show when I saw a sign for it in Shibuya. It was a random chance gone right, ha!
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
MH: My advice is to relax, take your time, buy only what you like, and if you are not sure about something then pass there’s always going to be opportunities in the future.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at Art Basel in Miami Beach?
MH: I’m looking forward to see new art and design and to connect with friends that I only get to see once or twice a year.
WW: What are the exhibitions in Miami you won’t miss?
MH: I won’t miss the ICA Exhibits opening on December 2nd. I always look forward to the Rubell’s collection.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
MH: Right now Leonardo Da Vinci (LOL).
Oscar Seikaly
CEO & Chairman of NSI Insurance Group
Courtesy of Oscar Seikaly.
Who: Oscar Seikaly serves as CEO and Chairman of NSI Insurance Group. He is a member of the Collector’s Council at PAMM, Board Member of the Bass, and Collector’s Council of the ICA Miami.
Focus: It began with ancient doors and windows, progressed to antiquities, then moved through modern art, and arrived at contemporary works.
Began Collecting: At 21 years old.
First piece: Old doors, windows, and antiquities dating back to 2000 BC.
Most recent: Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Un Uomo from 1964.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
OSCAR SEIKALY: Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Un Uomo from 1964 is from the early years of his mirror paintings, which completely redefined the idea of representation. By using polished steel instead of canvas, he turned the viewer into an active participant. You don’t just look at the work; you enter it.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
OS: For new collectors, my advice is to be curious, patient, and guided by genuine interest. Focus on building trusted relationships within the art community, educating yourself. Before acquiring anything, ask yourself what draws you to collecting: personal connection, cultural value, or investment. Set a realistic budget. Collecting is a long-term journey. Patience, persistence, and openness to chance discoveries are key.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at Art Basel?
OS: I always look forward to seeing how emerging artists are pushing boundaries and how established ones continue to reinvent themselves. It’s also a time to reflect on how my own collection is evolving.
WW: What are the exhibitions in Miami you won’t miss?
OS: Perez Art Museum, Bass Museum, ICA, Rubell Collection, Margolis Collection, Art Basel at the Convention Center, Art Miami, Untitled, NADA, Design Miami.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
OS: Claire Tabouret is a compelling contemporary French artist whose work is deeply invested in portraiture, identity, memory, and the psychological undercurrents of human relationships.
Richard Arregui and Susan Fulton Arregui
Collector, Board Member of Locust Projects, President of Vivant Skin Care
Courtesy of Richard Arregui and Susan Fulton Arregui.
Who: This former gallerist, dedicated collector, and longtime board member of Locust Projects—the city’s beloved nonprofit incubator of art and ideas—has helped shape Miami’s cultural landscape through years of support and patronage alongside his wife, Susan Fulton Arregui.
Focus: The couple’s thoughtful stewardship and dedication to excellence is evident in the expansive art collection in their distinctive 1980 modernist Miami home, which includes works by both emerging talents and established figures in contemporary art.
Location: Miami
Began Collecting: I was about 24 years old.
First Piece: I bought four of Goya’s etchings from “Los Caprichos.”
Most Recent: Sophie Calle’s On the Hunt.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
RICHARD ARREGUI: We recently acquired Sophie Calle’s On the Hunt from Paula Cooper. Even though I’ve been familiar with Calle’s work for years, this new piece just totally caught my attention in total surprise. It was a great re-discovery of this amazing artist.
WHITEWALL: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
RA: I always say look, look, look….so you may learn to see! Then simply fall in love. Acquiring art is like getting into a marriage….make sure that work of art either puts a smile on your face, intrigues you or creates a conversation with you every day, no different than the spouse you love.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at Art Basel in Miami Beach?
RA: First and foremost re-connecting with the dealers and art-loving friends we have built relationships with over many years. All these conversations begin with art dealers. Yes, their business is to sell art, but more importantly they are there to help you learn, introduce you to new artists, ideas and concepts. They will know better than anyone else about the artists they represent. So don’t be afraid to explore and ask lots of questions.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
RA: Oh, there are several. Eric N Mack, Austin Martin White, Martin Boyce, Dan Walsh and that’s just this week!
Ronald Harrar
Collector, Dealer
Courtesy of Ronald Harrar.
Who: Ronald Harrar is an international art collector, dealer, and producer specializing in postwar and contemporary art. A passionate collector himself, he actively supports dialogue between art, design, and culture.
Collection Focus: Ronald Harrar’s collection brings together contemporary art and design, reflecting his passion for discovery.
Location: Miami, New York City
Began Collecting: 20 years ago.
First Piece: A Manolo Valdes painting and an Anish Kapoor wall sculpture.
Most Recent: A Tracey Emin neon work and a Mel Ramos painting.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
RONALD HARRAR: Tracey Emin neon work and a fantastic Mel Ramos painting.
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
RH: Train your eye by immersing yourself in art. Visit galleries, museums, and art fairs regularly — and don’t miss the auction previews held just before the major sales. They’re open to the public and offer a rare opportunity to see masterpieces up close before they disappear into private collections.
WW: What are you looking forward to most at Art Basel in Miami Beach?
RH: There’s an energy that can’t quite be put into words. The gallery openings, the art fairs, the museums, and the endless lineup of incredible restaurants make it impossible to stay away. The satellite fairs are also always fun to visit.
WW: What exhibitions are you excited to see in Miami this December?
RH: Vanessa Raw at the Rubell Museum, Kat Lyons at Marquez Art Project, and PAMM will be showing works from their permanent collection.
WW: Who is the artist you’re most excited about right now?
RH: Mel Ramos, a pioneer of the Pop Art movement, will be celebrated with a major collateral exhibition in Venice next year during the Biennale.
