The Collector: Valeria Napoleone

The Collector10.30.2025

Valeria Napoleone exclusively collects works by female artists, creating “a choir of female voices who have been silenced throughout art history.” [1]

She began her collection after receiving a master's degree in art administration from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. It was 1997, and while female artists like Cindy Sherman, Elizabeth Peyton, and the Guerrilla Girls were changing the cultural conversation, Napoleone noticed they remained underrepresented in galleries. Her first acquisition was a black-and-white photograph by Carol Shadford, purchased for $500 from a Williamsburg gallery called Pierogi. [2] From then on, Napoleone decided “to redress the gender imbalance and create a collection that focused only on female artists.” [3]

“People collect but, more than collect, they buy art. There is a big difference,” she says. “When I started my journey, I knew very well the difference between the two of them and I told myself, from the very first piece that I bought, that I’m going to create a collection. I’m a collector. I’m not an occasional art buyer.” [4]

Napoleone’s collection includes over 450 pieces, many of which are exhibited in her homes and continue a familial tradition. The daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Napoleone was raised in a small town outside Milan. “My parents were besotted with furniture, tapestries and objets d'art,” she said. “They educated me to be inquisitive in terms of beauty.” [3] Her taste is eclectic, bright, and playful. There’s a voluptuous nude by Lisa Yuskavage, a fleshy Nicole Eisenman titled “Saggy Titties,” and a Goshka Macuga sculpture of a life-size Madame Blavatsky carved in wood that stretches across two chairs. “I don’t like artists–or people, for that matter–who take themselves too seriously,” Napoleone said. [1]

Her approach to collecting is highly personal and avoids chasing trends. For many years, her cap for individual artworks was $40,000, but the number has grown larger as market prices have inflated, landing somewhere around $70,000-$80,000. [4] She tends to avoid blue-chip names and instead supports artists in the beginning or middle of their careers.

In addition to supporting emerging artists, Napoleone has worked closely with non-profit spaces like London’s Studio Voltaire. In 2015, she launched Valeria Napoleone XX, an initiative that aims to amplify female representation within institutional spaces through partnerships with the Institute of Arts in New York, SculptureCenter, and the Contemporary Arts Society in London. [5]

She never uses an advisor and instead relies on her instincts and the occasional recommendations from her community of artists, gallerists, and curators. “I'm a very adventurous and curious person; I do my homework, I go to galleries, I do studio visits, and I do all the research myself, which can take years,” she said. “I could never give this part of collecting to someone else. There are a lot of people who hire consultants, but I have the time, I have the interest, I have the drive, and I have the passion for it.” [2]

“As a collector, you know how to read your own reaction in front of a piece,” she said. “Your heart beats. Then I read, I wait, to make sure it is not a fast flame.” [5]

SOURCES

1. Woodcock, Victoria. “Inside Art Collector Valeria Napoleone’s ‘Little Guggenheim’” Financial Times. November 26, 2021 https://www.ft.com/content/66a37a74-6ff0-49f7-b31a-8d2cc9c02ddb

2. Baygual, Paloma. “Collector Valeria Napoleone’s Home Is Adorned With Works That Scare Her Visitors and In-Laws. And She Loves It.” Cultured. March 8, 2024
https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2024/03/08/collector-valeria-napoleones-home-is-adorned-with-works-that-scare-her-visitors-and-in-laws-and-she-loves-it/

3. Tobin, Emily. “Art Collector And Patron Valeria Napoleone's Home Is A Gallery Space For The Female Artists She Champions.” House & Garden. October 1, 2019 https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/bold-london-house-art-collector

4. Thomas, Chris Erik. “Inside Valeria Napoleone’s Historic, Female-Focused Art Collection. “ Art Dusseldorf https://art-dus.de/valeria-napoleone-interview/

5. Lubow, Arthur. “Valeria Napoleone Puts Ladies First.” W. Oct. 19, 2021
https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/valeria-napoleone-art-collection-interview

Photographs by Frederike Helwig, Michael Sinclair, Paul Massey

Image: Mural by Lily van der Stokker, vases by Gaetano Pesce, Julie Verhoeven chair

Lisa Yuskavage, “True Blonde” (1998) above two Cassina stools by Charlotte Perriand
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Napoleone with Nina Canell, “Endless Column (Alternating Current for Twelve Electric Fans)” (2009), a table and chairs by Lily van der Stokker, and “True Blonde”
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A soft sculpture by Julie Verhoeven rests on the sofa; Resin coffee table by Pesce; Berta Fischer, “Hulenays” (2011); May Hands, “Gucci Meloni Ii (Pink And Gold)” (2014)
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Jutta Koether, “Blow Up Your Mind” (2009)
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On the wall: Silke Otto Knapp, “In The Midnight Hour” (2016) and Sylvie Fleury, “First Spaceship on Venus (Soft Rocket in Denim)” (2018) on the floor
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A wall cabinet by Nathalie du Pasquier
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From top: Hell Gette, “#😱(#WokeUpLikeThis), 2k20” (2020), Nicole Wermers, “Kusine” (2005), Emily Mae Smith, “The Studio, Odalisque” (2016), and Rebecca Morris, “Untitled” (2002). Center: Ella Kruglyanskaya, “Negative Vibes” (2013)
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Haegue Yang, “Up And Down Between Twins” (2010); Judith Bernstein, “Birth Of The Universe #33” (2014)
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A lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos with Bernstein, “Birth of the Universe #33”; Nicole Eisenman, “Saggy Titties” (2007)
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Anthea Hamilton, “Transposed Lime Butterfly (2019), door by du Pasquier
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Julia Wachtel, “Landscape No.11 (government)” (1990)
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An Amici sofa by Pesce, and du Pasquier, “Totem” (2018). On the wall hangs Andrea Büttner, “Nativity” (2007)
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Frieda Toranzo Jaeger, “Deep adaptation on Audi Aicon 2020 costume design by H Memling” (2019)
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Eisenman, “Brooklyn Biergarten II” (2008)
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A lamp in an alcove
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Shannon Ebner, “Gloria” (2010)
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Kathryn Andrews, “Untitled (Clown Cabinet)” (2011); Frances Stark, “The Inchoate Incarnate: After a Drawing, toward an Opera, but Before a Libretto Even Exists” (2009); Amanda Ross Ho, “Vertical Dropcloth Quilt (Jack in the Pulpit)” (2012)
17/18

Amalia Pica, “Vitrine 2 (Unintentional Monument #14, 15, 16, and 17)” (2010)
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