In 2012, when Eugenio and Olga Re Rebaudengo were both just 24, they acquired an Avery Singer painting, an early bet on an artist whose career was only beginning to take shape. More than a decade later, that acquisition reflects a fiercely individual collecting philosophy that focuses on looking at emerging talent and supporting them for the long term.
Today, the London-based couple champions young artists through Artuner, the contemporary art platform Eugenio founded in 2013, and the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, established by his mother, the Italian collector Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. For Olga, who grew up in Kazakhstan, London’s art scene has provided its own education, introducing her to artists and forging new friendships that continue to influence their collection.
In the midst of Frieze London, the pair sat down to talk about some of their early discoveries, deeply personal acquisitions, and why the best collectors don’t wait for the market to make up its mind about an artist.
What makes Frieze Week in London so special for you?
Eugenio Re Rebaudengo: What has always distinguished Frieze is its historical role in championing a more experimental approach to the fair format, with a strong focus on new generations of artists and galleries. It has helped create a platform for emerging practices, and brought them into dialogue with more established voices.
Last year was a particularly good example. There were so many artists whose practices we have followed closely, and whose work we have been deeply involved in collecting and presenting over the years, including Eva Helene Pade, Victor Man, Lenz Geerk, and Shaqúelle Whyte, to mention just a few. I remember also some very strong solo presentations at Frieze in the last years, such as the Danielle Mckinney solo booth a few months ahead of her first ever institutional solo show at our family Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin.
Olga Re Rebaudengo: The spirit of discovery is indeed what defines Frieze week for me. Some Frieze presentations stay strongly in my mind, like Danielle’s solo booth or Sanya Kantarovsky’s incredibly poetic presentation of ceramics. We are lucky to have been collecting their works in depth over the years.
Where does the story of your personal collection begin?
Eugenio: I grew up in a family of collectors, so contemporary art was part of my life from an early age. My mother, Patrizia, began collecting in the early 1990s, and the family foundation, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, was established in 1995. When I moved to London, I immersed myself in the city’s art scene and began my own collecting journey, concentrating particularly on artists of my generation.
I also realized that I wanted to support artists in as many meaningful ways as possible: not simply by acquiring their work, but by identifying, contextualizing and championing artists at the earliest stages of their careers. With this in mind, I founded Artuner in 2013.
Olga: I did not grow up with collecting, but since moving to London from Kazakhstan more than 20 years ago, I have been surrounded by friends working in art. My collecting journey has been shaped by London, its buzzing art scene, and many friends and family members who have been incredible mentors on this journey.
Can you tell me about your relationship with the painter Avery Singer?
Eugenio: Our relationship with Singer’s work went beyond that initial acquisition. In 2015, we presented her first Italian institutional solo exhibition at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. What interested me was the way she was rethinking painting, bringing digital tools and contemporary visual culture into a dialogue with art history.
Describe your collection in three words. Do you each give the same three?
Eugenio: Generational, focused, ambitious.
Olga: Pioneering and generational. So generational it is!
Which work in your home provokes the most conversation from guests?
Eugenio: Antigone, a powerful painting by Michael Armitage that has been in our living room for years. Michael is a very close friend, and I discovered his work very early in 2014. We developed a close relationship, and in 2015 we presented his work through Artuner in a project in Turin, one of the first opportunities to introduce his practice to an audience outside the U.K.
At the moment, Antigone is actually on loan to Palazzo Grassi in Venice for Michael’s solo exhibition. We are always very happy to lend works to museums and institutions. A collection should not be something closed or static; it is wonderful when works that have been meaningful to you can be shared with a wider audience. We do still have something very personal by Michael at home, though: a drawing he made of us for our wedding. It is a beautiful reminder that collecting is ultimately about relationships, and that the connection with an artist can extend far beyond the work itself.
Olga: I would also mention Marcus Cope, a very talented London-based artist whom we discovered through Michael. His paintings are deeply personal, drawing on memory and lived experience while opening up broader questions around family, history, and human relationships. I find the emotional directness of his work particularly compelling, and I am excited to see how his practice develops.
Which work have you spent the most time staring at?
Eugenio: There is a painting by David Czupryn, Und pass auf dich auf (“And take care of yourself”), that currently hangs in our bedroom. His paintings often play with the boundaries between painting, sculpture and architecture, creating images that initially draw you in through their virtuosity, but then reveal something more complex and unexpected the longer you look.
Olga: For me, it is also something very personal. Every morning, I see a portrait of us that our dear friend Ragnar Kjartansson sketched during our wedding ceremony. It captures a moment that would otherwise exist only in our memories.
How do you discover new artists, and what do you consider before expanding the collection?
Eugenio: Studio visits are fundamental. I also pay close attention to recommendations from artists whose work I respect. Asking an artist which other artists they are following can be an extraordinarily effective way of discovering new practices. Biennials, art fairs, museum exhibitions, and galleries all play an important role, but nothing replaces spending time with an artist and understanding how their work develops.
Olga: We are constantly researching young artists through Artuner, which I like to describe as an incubator. Carmen D’Apollonio is a good example. I first came across her work on social media. We then began collecting her work and supporting her practice through the platform. I find it rewarding to see how an initial encounter can develop into a longer relationship.
Olga, what was your first encounter with art growing up in Kazakhstan?
Olga: Kazakhstan is rich in traditions and cultural ceremonies, and these were part of my childhood. I remember the colors, the embroidery, the costumes, and the way people came together around these rituals. Looking back, I realize that they had a very visual and almost performative dimension: They created an atmosphere, told stories, and communicated a sense of identity and belonging.
Which artists are you most excited about right now?
Eugenio: Justin Caguiat is an artist whose work we have followed closely for several years. In our London flat, we live with the first work we acquired from him, in 2020. His paintings have a distinctive atmosphere: They are visually compelling, but they also ask you to slow down and spend time with them. His exhibition “Change Ringing,” which has just opened at the Serpentine in London, is the second chapter of a project we initiated with our family foundation in Madrid this spring. It is particularly rewarding to see a project develop across two institutions, with each chapter opening up new perspectives on the artist’s work. It is definitely one to see in London during Frieze Week.
I’d mention also Louis Le Kim—a very talented young French artist whose works translate the raw aesthetics of urban exploration and subterranean architectures into atmospheric and cinematic compositions.
You both collect early in artists’ careers. What’s the hardest part of backing someone before the market does?
Eugenio: To be honest, backing an artist early in their career is one of the most exciting parts of the art journey for me. I understand that, for many collectors, the hardest part is making a commitment before there is any broader consensus around an artist.
David Patrick Walsh is a good example. I met him through Ambera Wellmann in 2022, when I was working on a show with her for our foundation. David was assisting her in the studio and was still in his early 20s. I was struck by his talent straight away and felt it was important to support him as he developed his practice. We have been involved in helping build his career ever since, and we also live with some of his wonderful paintings here in London.
Olga: Eva Helene Pade is another artist who comes to mind. We discovered her work when she was still in her early 20s and completing her master’s degree in Copenhagen. In 2021, we presented her work, and it was exciting to encounter such a distinctive voice at that stage and to have the opportunity to support her while she was still developing her practice.
What has been the hardest work to acquire, and what is the one that got away?
Eugenio: There are always works that get away, even very recently—in the last couple of weeks, in fact. We are fortunate to have strong relationships with galleries and artists, which gives us access to many of the works we are interested in. But we are also very specific about the pieces we want. When you are pursuing something exceptional, the process can become highly competitive, with other committed collectors and sometimes public museums also in the picture.
My philosophy is that if you discover an artist early in their career and genuinely believe in their work and potential, it is often better to acquire a work when that conviction is there, rather than wait to see how things develop. This is even more true as acquiring a work early can also make a real difference to a young artist, giving them support and confidence at a formative moment.
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