Today, I’m back in Berlin to speak with Manuel Koch (@kunstinvestments) - financial journalist, entrepreneur running the financial media platform Inside Wirtschaft, salon host at Salon Schinkelplatz, and one of the most visible figures in Germany’s ultra-contemporary art scene.
Manuel only began collecting around five years ago, but in that short time he has become a real fixture. Alongside his work as a journalist, he devotes almost all of his free time to art - looking, visiting, hosting, sharing. He brings a distinctly journalistic lens to the way he collects, using his highly active Instagram platform to give visibility to artists, galleries, and museum shows he believes deserve attention.
That visibility has also attracted criticism, particularly around the name of his account: Kunstinvestments - literally, “art investment.” In our conversation, Manuel unpacks what he actually means by that, and why the term is far more nuanced than it might initially sound.
While he did enter the art world through the market, in part because of his background, what is most interesting is how far his perspective has evolved since. Manuel talks about the thrill of discovery, with a particular interest in supporting young artists from graduation, complemented by a more analytical approach when acquiring pricier, more established artists.
Art has genuinely changed Manuel’s life. And perhaps most importantly, his public approach to collecting is motivated above all by a desire to make that transformation accessible to others.
References from the episode:
Christopher Lehmpfuhl
Kunst Kaufen / Art for Everyone by Ruth Polleit
Magnus Resch
Dirk Boll
Kiriakos Tompolidis
Navot Miller
Anys Reimann
Brandon Lipchick
Luke Silva
Grace Weaver
Andre Butzer
Jenny Saville
Max Grote
Art Cologne
Positions Fair Berlin
Gallery Weekend Berlin
Berlin Art Week
Norbert Bisky
Louis Fratino
Timo Miettinen
Follow the podcast to see the guests' collections at @collectors_corner_ !
Colombia