Episode 72 / GIL BRONNER | Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf | Collecting and connecting
recorded February 2, 2023, 38 min.

Gil Bronner is an avid and passionate collector of contemporary art, with his own Museum – Sammlung Philara – in the arts and gallery district Flingern in Düsseldorf, Germany. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Friends of the Kunstpalast, which is the Museum of the City of Düsseldorf. He and his family support art, artists and institutions in Germany as well as Israel. Although his interest in art was instilled by his collecting parents, he had to find his own way and sense to get into it himself. To be with art seems to be his kind of calling and he spends most of his private time visiting exhibitions, meeting artists, gallerists, museum people and other collectors – many of whom became his friends. His collecting is for sure connected to the quality of art itself – many acclaimed and young international artists are part of the collection and the curated exhibitions at Sammlung Philara. Nevertheless one major Focus of his actions is to be connected to the art and culture of his hometown Düsseldorf and to make a difference in this special field. Gil talks about his wishes for the art scene in Düsseldorf and the Rhineland and strives for more visibility and interconnection in the future. This talk is not so much about what to collect, but rather how and why. None of this is answered really, but Gil gives his honest personal insight into his thoughts and feelings, the drive that makes him do what he does. Is there a way to distinguish bad from good art – maybe… What are the reasons for collecting art in such a wide array – who knows…

Portrait photo by Albrecht Fuchs

SHOWNOTES:
https://www.philara.de/en
https://freunde.kunstpalast.de/