Today I am interviewing Klaus Mertens, a discreet but active Berlin-based collector who also sits on the advisory board of Haus am Waldsee, one of the most exciting contemporary art venues in the city. Klaus most recently founded a deep tech company, but he has had an interest in contemporary art since he was a student and started acquiring works together with his wife a few years ago. They slowed down collecting with the arrival of their kids but remain committed to building their collection, particularly favouring artists who have ties to the Berlin art scene.

With Klaus we spoke about the ways collecting takes you to places, both literally and figuratively, that you might have never expected, how in general most people tend to buy too early, and more broadly the power & responsibility that come with having the ability and privilege to purchase art.

We also talk about some of the artists Klaus collects, and I will be sharing photographs on the podcast IG account as Klaus is not active on social media himself.

This was such an insightful conversation with many actionable tips from a collector who is truly committed to bringing artistic voices of our time to the forefront. I hope you enjoy!

Artists and references mentioned in the episode:

• Bernd and Hilla Becher

• Becher photography students

• Christopher Wool

• Julius von Bismarck

• Daniel Marzona gallery

• Sebastian Klemm gallery

• Alexander Levy gallery

• Thomas Fischer gallery

• DREI Gallery

• KW Institute for Contemporary Art 

• Fabian Knecht 

• Prateek Vijan

• Salomé Chatriot

• Callum Innes