The fun of art fairs comes when collectors open their homes to show off their art and talk about how they live with it and acquire it. Ocean Drive got Stephen and Petra Levin, who recently bought Alex Rodriguez’s Miami house to show off their Contemporary collection:
How many pieces of art do you own?
SL: Around 250.
When did you start collecting?
SL: About 20 years ago. I sold my first company and had money. When you’re building companies—and I’m an entrepreneur, I’ve developed a number of companies—you tend to make the bulk of your money when you sell it. But I’m still an active businessman.
Do you buy most of your art from dealers or auctions, or do you go to fairs?
SL: We originally bought it at fairs and from dealers, and now we have a private art consulting firm that represents us. We use a professional advisor and negotiator to advise us on our purchases.
Do you regularly go to Art Basel in Miami Beach?
PL: We go every year.
SL: We go to the one in Switzerland, too.
PL: And we go to Frieze in London.
SL: Good art is getting harder and harder to find with so many collectors and museums.
You have pieces by Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, Urs Fischer, Keith Haring….
SL: We also have works by Banksy, Damien Hirst, George Condo, [Andy] Warhol, and Jacques Lipchitz. We display all our art; we do not keep it in storage, so therefore we constantly have pieces at auction as we require new space in the home. We always have, at any given time, three, four, five pieces at auction.
How One Couple Infuses Art Into Their Luxe Miami Beach Home (Ocean Drive)
