THE ART OF A New Perspective
How Marc Leder, Private Equity Maven and Co-Founder of Sun Capital Partners, Got Hooked by the Art World by Laura A. Roser
“F
or many years, I was two-dimensional—kids and work,” says Marc Leder, financier and Hamptons socialite. “That was my whole life up into my early 40s.”
Then Marc discovered the art scene. “It is such a different world than business and finance. It not only gives me a bit of a mental break from my work life, it also exposes me to new ideas and ways of looking at the world.” Marc now collects art and supports various causes related to the arts. One organization he is involved with is the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which is dedicated to providing inner city youth across New York City with significant exposure to the arts, as well as to supporting emerging artists with exhibition opportunities. The nonprofit was founded by media mogul Russell Simmons and his two brothers. Marc can also be found at a variety of art events, such as Art Basel in Miami, and he is a member of the International Council Board of the Berggruen Museum in Berlin. “I’m still very new to the art world, and am still doing a lot of exploring and learning,” says Marc. “I look for individual works that I like rather than focus on any one artist. Everything I’m currently collecting is in the Contemporary genre, but at some point I could easily add Impressionists and Old Masters, as well.” One artist Marc mentions is Michael Bauer. “He creates these really distinctive pieces that have a collage-like quality with abstract images alongside recognizable items and human-like figures. They’re hard to describe, but I really respond to them. “Laura Kimpton and Alec Monopoly are two artists I also find very interesting. Laura is known for giant word sculptures—famously shown at Burning Man—and Alec uses imagery from the Monopoly game in a graffiti style. A pretty diverse group.”
8 LEGACY ARTS Issue 8 www.paragonroad.com