Last month The Art Gorgeous teamed up with the independent non-profit LIAN Foundation at Art Basel to host a breakfast. Sitting at the intersection of art and technology, LIAN Foundation presents a varied global program of activities, from sponsoring art prizes to curating exhibitions and digital education.
LIAN Foundation was co-founded by Nessim-Sariel Gaon and Fiorenzo Manganiello, an Italian financier and professor at Geneva Business School in the field of blockchain and venture capital. We sat down with Fiorenzo to find out more about his collecting strategy, how he started the foundation, and what exactly LIAN means.
You have a background in finance and venture capital; what brought you to the art world?
I was born and raised in Naples. It’s a cultural powerhouse from a historical perspective but not really in emerging and digital arts. I have been working in finance. I don’t want to say it’s boring, but it has a very structured approach, always dealing with numbers, etc, so I was missing creativity. When I started my first job, I didn’t even know what art was like.
Then I moved to Switzerland. I shared a flat with a painter who was also an art professor. She was organizing painting classes in the house and got me started painting. I couldn’t even draw a house, but she said she’d help me. Later she took me to an art market. I didn’t have any money, but I fell in love with my first painting and bought it for $50. It’s a kind of Picasso-style vintage oil on canvas. I used to have preconceptions about art and painting. This experience taught me that sometimes you might have preconceptions in life.
Wow, that’s really cool. We wanted to ask more about the LIAN Foundation. How did you get started?
I started to collect collecting when I was 21, more than 10 years ago. I didn’t have any money, so I always say, there are some platforms online where you can sponsor an emerging artist with a very low entry budget.
I started to buy 20 works a bit randomly without a strategy, as everyone does. I was traveling a lot for my job in London, Paris, and Berlin. I always set aside 2 to 3 hours during the day to visit art schools. I’d basically speak with the students who were my age, around 22 to 24.
So I started to buy in a certain way from those artists and then realized that I wanted a more structured approach.
With the foundation, I wanted to promote the discovery of contemporary artist talents. Discovery means not only buying from them but also promoting them at fairs, museums, etc. This is why, for example, we had a presence at Art Dubai or we lend works to major museums.
The idea is to choose one or two artists each year and work on a solo show with them without selling anything, taking a more museum-like or foundational approach. We’re also sponsoring awards and art school masters, along with an education initiative.
Can you also tell us what LIAN stands for?
I hope you will not be shocked by this, but the name comes from “Qū kuài liàn”, a Chinese word. I’ve always been passionate about Asia in general and China. In 2018 during a trip in China, I was thinking, “I need a name; what should I do?”
I was speaking with friends, and they gave me the name “Qū kuài liàn”. In Chinese, it means blockchain. I liked the “lian” at the end because it signifies chain in Chinese, but it has a deeper meaning, implying unity or connection. ‘Lian’ in Chinese is read as l-i-a-n, which sounds good in both English and Italian. That’s why we decided to call it LIAN. It’s a memorable name, especially now that you know the story.
Speaking of blockchain, you have a big focus on digital art. How do you think digital art will progress in the future?
We can talk a lot about these trends. It’s not a very new concept and is a derivation of years of studies by different artists that have translated into digital art movements. I think everything in art is about generational taste and trends.
This is also part of my collecting strategy. Our generation is digital-native and very familiar with technology. In Europe and North America, digital art has a 32.2% and resp. 38.5% share of the art market respectively. In the next 20 to 50 years, I expect digital arts to comprise 40 to 50% of the art market in terms of value and volume.
Our generation will eventually have money to buy art, and they will be comfortable buying digital art pieces. It’s a matter of time. Blockchain drives adoption by providing ownership of digital items. However, it’s not the only driver. I think AI will be more impactful than blockchain, especially in enabling people to interact with and design digital pieces of art.
What advice would you give to a young collector who is thinking of collecting digital pieces but doesn’t know where to start?
In my humble opinion, digital art might not be the best way to start collecting. It’s like learning to play guitar: you start with a classical guitar to learn the basics before moving to an electric guitar. Similarly, young collectors should start with traditional art to understand the fundamentals before delving into digital art, which is broad and fast-paced, making it difficult to assess and analyze without knowledge.
I recommend visiting universities and studios regularly to see what artists are creating. This way, you can assess the market and understand emerging trends without categorizing yourself too narrowly.
Which artists are you excited about now? What artists do you want in your collection?
Today my collection is young and dynamic. I’m trying to collect established artists to connect with our collection’s themes.
On the traditional side, I’m looking at Kenny Scharf, Christopher Wool, and Keith Haring. From digital artists, I’m interested in Deekay, Dot Pigeon, and Tyler Hobbs.
Are there any projects or events that The Art Gorgeous readers should have on their radar?
We are trying to organize a sport competition between artists, collectors, and galleries at an upcoming art fair. Keep an eye out for updates on our LIAN Group socials!
You can find out more about LIAN Foundation and Fiorenzo on their website here.
If you want to download the TheArtGorgeous x LIAN Brochure, head straight here, give them a follow on Insta to stay informed here.
Interview by Lizzy Vartanian Collier | @gallerygirlldn
