We were lucky to catch up with Monica Kalpakian recently and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I take risks in my art collecting, and given that they are all based on gut feeling, I follow my instinct. I could not do this with a client as most of the time; I have no logic to prove the reasoning why except I know (in my gut) I should follow this lead. For example: There was a work by the artist Sam Gilliam I wanted, and I kept searching for the best job for me. I went to his Washington studio and found a great one in Munich.

The markets were going crazy, stocks had gone wildly down, and the world was with covid, yet I still went ahead and bought it.

Sadly the artist passed away a month ago, but his genius will remain forever!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an art collector, a patron (I help artists), am a member of various museum boards, and I was telling my friends what to buy decades ago, giving them advice and putting them in contact with artists and galleries, and then helping them with the transport and being at their home for the install, until I realized it was a full-time job!!! And opened a company and did it legit. My friends have become worldly known art collectors, because they bought work when the artists were not famous and now that they are, they wouldn’t be able to afford them!!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I love understanding clients’ identities and what will wake up their passion. (I am a licensed psychologist). Once I get to that point, it’s all flawless; the homes look like a dream come true.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I encourage artists just to be themselves and express their creative genius. Helping them monetarily takes away the stress they have to pay bills, and it allows for them to be true to themselves instead of doing what would be “sellable” or famous; therefore raising funds for artists is vital for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: monicakalpakian.com
• Instagram: artvising_monicakalpakian
• Facebook: artvising
• Linkedin: artvising
• Twitter: artvising