Denis Khimilayne’s collection
The ART4 Museum is hosting the "Things" exhibition, showcasing artworks from various private collections until December 3rd. We had the opportunity to speak with Denis Khimilayne, whose collection is also being displayed at the exhibition. He shared his thoughts on why setting goals can be limiting, and the significance of a collector's role in the art scene.
HOW MANY PIECES DO YOU NOW HAVE IN YOUR COLLECTION?
I currently have approximately 700 art pieces, which are mostly stored in spaces connected to me, such as apartments, country houses, and offices. The majority of the pieces are displayed on walls, with the exception of some large installations, videos, and other artworks that don't fit. As Igor Markin once said, "The most valuable thing for a collector is walls." The few pieces that don't fit are kept in a warehouse.
CAN YOU TELL HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO BUY? MAYBE YOU FOLLOW SOME CERTAIN ARTISTS OR LISTEN TO SOMEONE’S PARTICULAR ADVICE?
I don't rely on advice when buying art since I could give such advice myself. Instead, I consider various sources of information such as what I hear, read or see, and then decide what I want to purchase. In addition, I already have a number of "liquid" artists whose prices are stable, allowing me to estimate their worth. If I come across a piece priced below its usual market value, I seize the opportunity to acquire it. There are certain artists whose works I do not yet possess but desire to obtain, so I keep track of their prices and movements in the market. Moreover, I also purchase art from young artists whose price range I am familiar with.
YOU SAID YOU DON’T LISTEN TO ANY ADVICE. NEVERTHELESS, COULD YOU SHARE WHOSE ADVICE YOU MIGHT LISTEN TO ANYWAY?
The museum workers who work in the field of contemporary art, art researchers, gallery workers, collectors, art dealers and curators. There is quite a wide circle of people who have knowledge and experience in modern, post-war, and contemporary art, and I think it's important to consider their perspectives when making acquisitions. It’s impossible to name all of them, because I will surely forget to mention somebody.
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Denis Stroyev — “Mask-spoon”, Irina Nakhova — “The Sense Organs: Rose” -
Gulnur Mukazhanova — “Post Nomad Reality in Kazakhstan 7” -
Fedor Khirosighe — “A Forest Magician”
IS THERE A LIST OF ART PIECES THAT YOU WANTED TO BUY BUT MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY AND REGRET NOT ACQUIRING?
Listen, to regret something that you haven’t done is the last thing you should ever do. You might find yourself regretting your whole life away. It’s not only about buying art, it’s about everything else also. You should never regret something you haven’t done.
WHO DO YOU FOLLOW AND WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE IN YOUR COLLECTION?
Again, I have a lot of these authors, but I can’t name them all now. I have more than 350 artists, and some artists I don’t have. For example, recently I have acquired a piece by Faibisovich, and I never had any works by him until that moment, I also bought Chuikov recently, and I never had any works by him until that moment also.
ARE THERE ANY COLLECTIONS YOU LIKE AND KEEP TRACK OF?
I am familiar with some collectors who are also my friends, and I have a good idea of what they have in their collections. For example, there are Sergey Limonov, Igor Sukhanov, and Volodya Ovcharenko, whose collection was exhibited a few years ago. I also know Marianna Sardarova from Ruarts. Each collection is unique, reflecting the individuality of the collector, and it's fascinating to see how different artworks transform under their influence. We exchange our opinions, share our perspectives, and introduce each other to works by up-and-coming artists.
THE “THINGS” EXHIBITION PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION OF THE COLLECTOR’S ROLE IN THE ART SCENE. IN YOUR OPINION, WHY DO YOU THINK COLLECTORS ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE ART SCENE AND WHAT IMPACT DO THEY HAVE ON IT?
Today, collectors are primarily individuals with financial resources who provide vital support to artists. Modern artists cannot survive on bread and water alone. While there are funds and institutions that offer assistance, collectors play a vital role in transforming art objects, approving them, and providing them with a stamp of recognition.
Artworks can become lifeless herbarium specimens when stored in museums. However, when kept in private collections, they can take on a new life. They can be viewed by a diverse audience, and collectors can sell them, allowing the pieces to remain dynamic and active within collections. Collectors have always played a critical role in driving the art world forward.
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A piece by AES+F -
Sergey Mironenko — №45 “Fiasco” from “The Elements” series and №59 “Whatisit” from “The Elements” series; Denis Stroyev — “The Uterus” -
DO YOU SELL SOME PARTS OF YOUR COLLECTION?
I always sell.
INSIDE OF THE RUSSIAN MARKET OR ABROAD?
As a collector of Russian art, I have observed that the West has historically shown little interest in it until February 24th, and since then, any potential interest seems to have disappeared completely.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SOME NEW TRENDS LIKE NFTs?
I briefly understand what this thing is about, and therefore I’m not too interested in it. NFT is an image created on a computer. While I don't find it interesting as an art object, I might consider it as an investment object.
YOU HAVE A WHOLE WEBSITE DEDICATED TO YOUR COLLECTION. WHY DID YOU START TO RUN IT?
A website is a practical tool to consolidate all the information related to your art collection. Rather than maintaining separate public and private databases, a website allows for centralized storage that can be accessible to various parties with different levels of permission. Not only does it serve educational purposes, but it also facilitates accounting and record-keeping. For example, curators or gallery workers can easily access the website to retrieve relevant information for organizing and hosting an exhibition.
DO YOU HAVE A TEAM THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RUNNING THIS ARCHIVE?
Yes, sure. There are 2-4 people who do that not on a daily basis.
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Alexander Kutovoy "Lenin Hill"
Boris Sveshnikov
DO YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF A GOAL FOR THIS ARCHIVE? HOW DO YOU IMAGINE YOUR COLLECTION IN 50 YEARS FROM NOW?
The world is changing so fast, it’s impossible to think of what’s going to happen in 20 or 25 years. I don’t think too far ahead and I live in a moment. I don’t have any gigantic goals regarding what my collection will turn into. I think it’s easier to achieve something, rather than creating some goals.
WHY DO YOU THINK SO?
Because the world is diverse. When you see a goal, you limit yourself by only working to achieve that goal, and you might miss a lot of interesting things around. I don’t set any goals at all.
DOES IT MEAN YOU DON’T HAVE A GOAL OF BUYING SOME CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PIECES?
Yes, I don’t set any goals. Even more, I have limited the amount of pieces in my collection with a strict number. And when I reach this limit, I will have to sell something in order to buy something new.
WHY DID YOU MAKE SUCH CHOICE?
Because by doing it this way, it doesn’t turn into gathering and hoarding. You move from amount to quality. You always assess your collection and new artwork you’d like to buy. Will it make your collection better? Is there an artwork in your collection that is worse than the one you can already sell?
Anna Zhelud — “They pulled me out of a booze ended my dipression”
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BUY ART?
Well, somebody invests in art: buys and then sells. Somebody likes a certain artist, they have a friendship and from time to time that person buys their art. Somebody needs some paintings to be placed in their bedroom to have some objects on their walls, and somebody is a collector. The reasons why people buy art are limitless. But I wouldn’t ask that question this way, I don’t like the word “should”.
WHAT ART GIVES TO YOU?
Art doesn’t have to give anything to anybody, it’s not obliged to anybody in one way or another. It just exists. And you live with it the way you do. Coming to a theater or a concert, you’re not doing that because you are expecting to receive something. It’s a part of your life, and you cannot imagine living without it. I can’t live without art, for example.
COULD YOU GIVE SOME ADVICE TO BEGINNING COLLECTORS? HOW ONE SHOULD START THEIR COLLECTION?
First: you have to be watchful. You have to visit exhibitions and try to make sense of them, read the curators’ texts, the articles about these exhibitions, the art researchers’ materials about the artists.
Second: you have to read books about art.
Third: you have to decide what you’d like to collect.
Fourth: you have to talk with people who have some good art knowledge.
And the most important: you should never start buying art just because you want to. The money is always better. You should buy art only when you are 100% confident you’re doing everything right, because a good collection is not something you managed to buy, but something you haven’t bought.
DOES IT MEAN THAT BEFORE STARTING A COLLECTION, YOU SHOULD CONDUCT A GOOD RESEARCH?
By all means.
CAN YOU GIVE AN ADVICE ON WHAT TO READ?
There is a vast amount of literature available on art, and it's important to read about not just modern art but also the history of art in general in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject.
