NETJETS US VOLUME 12 2020

INSIDE VIEW
A PASSION FOR
COLLECTING
Mera and Don Rubell are art world aristocrats. They began collecting in New York in
1964 and over the past half-century have amassed one of the premier assemblages of
contemporary art in the world. Their approach—to visit artists in studios and develop
long-lasting relationships—was born out of necessity in the early years but has proved
to be prescient: Their collection now includes so many key works by totemic artists that
pieces are constantly rotating out on loan for exhibitions around the world. In 1993,
the Rubells bought an ex-Drug Enforcement Administration warehouse in the thenuntouchable
neighborhood of Wynwood in Miami with the intention of displaying their
pieces. The exhibitions were at their best during Miami Art Week (the Rubells were
instrumental in initiating Art Basel in Miami Beach), and the space soon acquired the
sheen of being one of the touchstones of contemporary art in America. Of course, the
Rubells didn’t stop collecting, and the new, much-expanded space for their collection—
now comprising more than 7,200 works—has been in the works for years. Located
less than a mile from the old one, the new museum is housed in six former industrial
buildings, which have been transformed into 40 galleries by Selldorf Architects, the
New York-based practice that specializes in art spaces (recent commissions include
the Chelsea galleries of both Hauser & Wirth and David Zwirner, as well as the coming
expansion of the Frick). Confidently minimalist, the Rubell Museum sprawls across a
100,000-square-foot campus, and in this notoriously fickle city is one address that will
never go out of style. rubellmuseum.org
P74-75
Don Rubell pauses to look at
Kehinde Wiley’s “Sleep” (2008),
left, and an untitled 1981 work
by Keith Haring, right.
P76-77
The inaugural installation
includes a survey of German
artists. In this room are
three paintings by Neo
Rauch, from left, “Das Neue”
(2003), “Demos” (2004), and
“Vorführung” (2006). A pair of
sculptures from Isa Genzken’s
2013 series, “Schauspieler”,
is also featured.
OPPOSITE
Amoako Boafo’s “Hudson in
a Baby Blue Suit” (2019).
ALL WORKS COURTESY OF RUBELL MUSEUM. P74-75: NICHOLAS VENEZIA, COURTESY OF SELLDORF ARCHITECTS; P76-77: CHI LAM; OPPOSITE: © RUBELL MUSEUM; P80-81: © CINDY SHERMAN; © JEFF KOONS STUDIO; © GLENN LIGON; © KERRY JAMES MARSHALL
78 NetJets