Fiorenzo Manganiello is an Italian tech entrepreneur who has been collecting art for seven years. Manganiello, who lives mainly between Naples and Dubai, is the co-founder of Lian Group, a technology-focused investment company, and Cowa, a blockchain infrastructure company. He is also a professor of blockchain technologies at the Geneva Business School.
Manganiello began collecting in his twenties, with a major interest in street and digital art, and now owns works by artists such as Chloe Wise, Peter Saul, Alex Israel and Zhang Xiaogang. In 2019, Manganiello created the Lian Foundation, which funds and promotes digital learning, and in 2021 created the Lian Foundation Prize, which is awarded annually to art students at the Haute Ecole d’art et de Design Genève.
dancers (2023) by Austin Lee, which combines traditional painting and digital techniques Courtesy of Fiorenzo Manganiello
The Art Newspaper: What are you looking for in Basel this year?
Fiorenzo Manganiello: I have been unconsciously but obsessively
collect works with a very digital aesthetic. After seven years of purchase,
I realized it was time to contextualize and ground the collection with the cornerstones of digital art, pioneering artists of the movement. So I’ll be looking for works by Jeff Elrod, Jacqueline Humphries, Cory Arcangel and David Reed.
How quickly do you decide to buy a work of art?
About three seconds? If it’s an artist I’ve been following for a while then right away, but of course if it’s an artist I don’t know, I’ll do my research. I tend not to wait, though. I think it’s an age-old state of mind, to get things done!
What is the first work you bought?
The first piece of art I bought was at a flea market in Geneva. It’s a Picasso harlequin scene and I have no idea who it is or where it came from. I always have it on my wall because, although it has no value, it means a lot to me as my entry into art. My first major purchase was a painting by Oli Epp, Chlorine (2017). He’s a London-based painter whose work largely defines the aesthetic of my collection – digital and playful.
Oli Epp’s “digital and playful” Chlorine (2017) was the first major work Manganiello purchased for his collection Courtesy of Fiorenzo Manganiello
What is the last work you bought?
My last purchase was a work of [the American artist] Titled Austin Lee dancers (2023). Again, I can’t stay away from this digital aesthetic.
What do you regret not buying when you had the chance?
Lots of things – maybe that’s why I feel the need to make decisions so quickly now. The first artist that comes to mind is Cristina BanBan [a Spanish-born, New York-based painter represented by Perrotin and Skarstedt galleries]. We had emailed in 2017 but since I had just started buying art, I didn’t take the plunge and buy one of his works.
If you could have one work from any museum, what would it be?
As an Italian I feel I have to choose something typically Italian – Modigliani’s blue eyed woman (1918) at the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris.
Where do you like to eat and drink during your stay in Basel?
Once inside the fair, I get sucked in and don’t leave the building until closing time, so I end up eating in the UBS lounge most days…
Do you have parties planned?
This year, to celebrate the reunion of my friends, colleagues and artists in Basel, I decided to organize a dinner with LaCollection.io at Les Trois Rois. [Manganiello sits on the board of LaCollection.io, which enables museums to create NFTs of their collections].
What is your least favorite thing about art fairs?
I seem to be one of the few people who really enjoys attending art fairs! For me, Art Basel is the cornerstone of the art market and the barometer of its health. I also see each year as a marker of my own growth as a collector. What I like least are the people who come to criticize: it’s a waste of time for everyone. And of course the price of hotels which must be reserved six months in advance. This makes Basel less accessible to people who just want to see art from all over the world in one place.
Where to go in Basel to escape?
Basel Zoo… from one zoo to another.
What advice would you give to someone visiting Basel for the first time?
Go with people who know what they are talking about. I was completely lost the first time, but in good company, which made me want to continue. And make time for List.
