Swiss-born Monique Burger and her husband, Max, are big spenders when it comes to contemporary art. Joining the ranks of billionaires Roman Abramovich and Francois Pinault, the Hong Kong-based couple are among the world's 200 most active collectors, according to ARTnews magazine.
Since the early 1990s, they have amassed more than 1,000 artworks. Their collection spans 45 countries with artists ranging from record-breaking Chinese painters to heavyweights from the Western art world. Yet the Burgers are not your average trophy hunters. Rather than chasing the blue-chip set, they have developed an increasingly strategic approach to acquisitions.
Three years ago, the couple began collaborating with Zurich-based art historian and curator Daniel Kurjakovic to refine their collection. Describing the early days when Monique Burger acquired her first works, Kurjakovic says: 'It was an intuitive process. It was never about a strict concept or some abstract notion of a collection. It grew with a lot of conversations, experience and research.'
Recently, the Burgers have been 'buying in depth', or collecting several works by a single artist. Kurjakovic says they plan to focus on about 50 to 80 artists in the collection and add pieces from these names.
Independent art consultant Jonathan Crockett says that buying one prized canvas from a popular series has a bigger monetary impact than investing in several prints or lesser works by the same artist.
The Burgers typically pursue the best examples from an artist's collection. This is especially visible in their selection of works by the Chinese artist Zhang Xiaogang. Their collection features five of his paintings and one photograph.