Enviable Collections with Irma & Norman Braman, Ella Fontanals-Cisneros, Mera and Donald Rubell

[highlight_text] Braman hopes that the sale of a portion of his collection, which is worth several millions of Dollars, will help medical researchers make “ important steps forward.” [/highlight_text]

Irma & Norman Braman

An estimated $900 million of his $1.6 billion net worth is tied up in artwork. They own important works of art from Andy Warhol, Picasso, Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. The couple purchased a neon work by New York City minimalist Dan Flavin and this piece now lights up the entrance for their Miami home. The Barman’s began collecting in 1979 after falling for sculptures by Alexander Calder and Miro at the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul, in Southern France. They own one of the most important collections of Modern American Art which include 20 pieces of the best of Alexander Calder sculptures. Their International Contemporary Art includes works by Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst and Gerhard Richter. Braman hopes that the sale of a portion of his collection, which is worth several millions of Dollars, will help medical researchers make “ important steps forward.”

Ella Fontanals-Cisneros

Ella Fontanals-Cisnero began collecting art in the early 1970s, and is primarily interested in works from Latin America. The entire collection has never been viewed by the public at once, as she organizes a series of exhibitions from the collection on a yearly basis. Her collection ranges from video, photography, geometric abstraction and contemporary Art.

Her video collection holds an evolving group of artists. Among them are Marina Abramovic, Chantal Akerman, Kutlug Ataman, Candice Breitz, William Kentridge, Ana Mendieta, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Julian Rosefeldt, Melanie Smith, Jennifer Steinkamp, Fiona Tan, Francesca Woodman, Song Dong and Bill Viola.

The Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2002 by Ella Fontanals-Cisneros to support artists who are exploring new directions in the contemporary art realm.

Mera and Donald Rubell

The couple started collecting art in 1964. To date, they’ve massed an internationally-renowned collection of contemporary art, composed of approximately 5,000 works, including pieces by Kehinde Wiley, Ai Weiwei, Marilyn Minter, Elizabeth Peyton, Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons,Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol.

Since 1993, they’ve been sharing the Rubell Family Collection with the Miami community. Each year they exhibit their collection around the world, with recent exhibitions having been held at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Palm Spring Art Museum in California and the North Carolina Museum of Art. The Rubells are known for discovering breakout artist in their early careers. An early black and white Cindy Sherman that was purchased for $25 now has an estimated value of $25,000.

Lenore & Adam Sender

Adam Sender was one of the first hedge fund managers to get serious about contemporary art, and began buying in 1998. Studies show that his collection has an estimate value of approximately $100 million and that Sender owns some 1,000 pieces.

In 2011, the Senders hosted an exhibit of their artwork at their 5,000-square-foot home, including bathrooms & closets. Some highlights of the exhibition were Richard Prince’s racy “Spiritual America,” a reproduction of a controversial photograph of Brook Shields as a child, heavily made up and naked, standing in a bathtub. Other artists to mention are Rashid Johnson, Frank Benson, Diana Al-Hadid, Jim Lambie and Urs Fischer, and other more established ones include Sarah Lucas, Mathew Barney, Chris Ofili, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Mike Kelley,Barbara Kruger and Cindy Sherman. His collection is dived between his homes in Manhattan, Miami and Sag Harbor.

Jorge Pérez

Jorge Pérez has long been committed to improving the city of Miami’s art scene; evident in his recent donation of a large part of his Latin America collection to the Miami art museum, as well as capital for a building that will soon bear his name. Altogether, the donation is valued between $35 and $40 million. “I’ve always loved art passionately,” Pérez said. His collection includes pieces from Colombian artists Fernando Botero, Alejandro Obregon and several other Latin American artists.

Martin Z. Marguiles

After amassing one of the most impressive collections of contemporary art in the world, Marguiles began showcasing his pieces, which run the gamut from contemporary art and vintage photography to video, sculpture and installations, to the public in 1999. The collection continued to expand over the last decade, leading to the need for a larger home. The Marguiles Collection is housed in a 45,000-square-foot renovated warehouse in the heart of Wynwood. The Martin Z. Maguiles Foundation is a non-profit that is focused on presenting exhibitions and educational programs.

Rosa and Carlos De La Cruz

He is the Chairman of the Board of CC1 companies, Inc. which includes subsidiaries of the Coca-Cola Company and has $1 billion in annual sales, while she is one of Florida’s most prominent art collectors. Recognizing the significance of their incredible collection, the pair periodically opens their home to anyone who wishes to view their outstanding collection, including Art Basel, when the couple let 3,000 VIPs into their Key Biscayne home.