Human Provenance

OUR FASCINATION AND LOVE for great art stems from the fact that it is the expression of the best and highest that humans are capable of. Every one of us reacts in our own subjective way when we look at a work of art, regardless of whether we are connoisseurs or not. Each one of those reactions is legitimate. Art creates a bridge between people from different parts of the globe, from different ethnicities, different colors of skin, different religions, different sides of the political spectrum, different educations, different backgrounds, different economic circumstances, and different eras since art transcends time.

Art helps us to overcome challenges that we may face in life. One recent example of this was the pandemic. While none of us could physically move anywhere, social media demonstrated our thirst for culture, music, cinema, and literature. Art can quench our thirst for beauty and harmony that we all have in us.

My profession allows me to spend a lot of time with a lot of people. The more you get to dig into anybody’s life, to see what makes them tick, the more it allows you a glimpse into their soul and to understand their personality. You realize that no matter how successful someone appears to be, it is never plain and smooth sailing for anyone. Each life has its challenges, its obstacles, moments of self-doubt, moments of crisis, moments of sadness, and moments of deep, deep sorrow besides, of course, the moments of joy, love, and elation. The image most of us give of ourselves on social media is just a facade.

The physical spaces we live and work in have a massive influence on our thinking and well-being. I love any spaces that have high ceilings. Part of the difficulties we encounter is that we live and work in environments where we have low ceilings. I personally much prefer a small place with high ceilings to a large place with low ceilings.

I am also a strong believer in Feng Shui. I have not studied it in any way, but there are certain spaces you walk into and you instantly feel bad, and other spaces you walk into and you instantly feel good. This, of course, has to do with energy because it is not only us humans that have energy; everything is energy. I’m like a sponge; I can take it all. I can fill myself with bad energy as well. So yes, I think it’s key to look for spaces that stimulate you.

I remember when my kids were little. We went to a hotel in Zermatt that was so overdecorated that I literally felt physically unwell. My children could not understand that I was complaining and unable to enjoy it. I can love a place that is very, very simple, but when there is a kind of bad aura, then it really becomes disturbing. My challenge is that I’m overly sensitive. I remember when I was a child, my mother used to always say, “Oh, he’s too sensitive,” which is an asset, but it’s a curse as well.

As an art dealer and collector, I know maintaining momentum is crucial for artists and individuals in the creative industry, as well as many other fields. But how can one effectively capture and sustain it? Living in the moment—that’s what very few people are able to do. Only children live in the moment constantly. We are either obsessed with our past or obsessed with our future instead of living in the moment.

When back in 2012 I sold my remaining stake in the international auction house Phillips, I thought that that was the last time that I had ever conducted an auction. Then various museums, cultural, medical, or educational institutions asked me to conduct charity auctions on their behalf. This gained so much momentum that I conduct more auctions today than I ever have in my life before. It is, of course, a nice feeling to know that my activity has helped raise hundreds of millions for good causes.

I do feel that we are all very, very privileged in the art world, and so when you have been given the luck of having an interesting or exciting existence, it is important to give back to people who have been less fortunate and less privileged in a sense. I think that success brings an obligation to be philanthropically active.

I believe in karma, and I believe in karma beyond our own life. It has an impact on our families and descendants, and we are the result and consequence of the lives of our ancestors. It’s totally fascinating.

We all know, of course, how our human journey ends. Despite that, it helps us enormously when we have a positive and optimistic attitude. My motto is always that the best is yet to come. The minute you stop dreaming, the minute you stop having goals, it’s game over.

By Simon De Pury

Contributor