Gerry Michals on Art, Luxury Assets and the Next Generation of Collectors

The senior art adviser at London Art Exchange discusses Mr Phantom, Pierre Simone, Gabrielle Malak and the thinking behind a collection with character.

Proposed byline: Andrew Theo
For Cash Insight News

At London Art Exchange in Marylebone, Gerry Michals brings a background in finance, fine wine and whisky to the business of contemporary art. His career spans seven years across finance and luxury assets, with the past two focused on art. Working with experienced buyers and people building their first collections, he wants ownership to begin with understanding. In this proposed post-Frieze 2026 conversation, the subjects range from Mr Phantom’s public imagery to cultural heritage, hospitality and the personal decisions behind a collection.

What carried over from wine and whisky into art?

Attention to detail. With a bottle, you examine the producer, provenance, condition and storage. Art asks for equally careful questions, although each market has its own characteristics. My financial background taught me to examine the evidence behind a price. Wine and whisky taught me how strongly craftsmanship and personal taste influence ownership. Art brings those interests together, with the added pleasure of living with something you can look at every day.

What makes London Art Exchange the right setting for your work?

The relationship between artists and collectors. Being close to the work lets me explain a series, compare individual pieces and understand how an artist’s ideas develop. Marylebone also gives us a setting where a client can spend time with a painting. I want a viewing to feel considered and personal. You should leave knowing why a particular piece matters to you and what its documentation actually establishes.

Where does a collection begin for you?

With the person. I want to know what you respond to, where the work will live and what you can comfortably spend. Then we look at artists, materials, scale and the purchase terms. A collection should have reasons behind its choices. Those reasons might be visual, cultural or personal. My role is to make the options clear enough that the final decision feels like yours.

How do you assess the commercial side of a purchase?

I look at the evidence for that particular work, the price being asked, the terms of ownership and the practical costs of holding it. A quoted valuation and the money received from a completed sale tell you different things. I want a client to understand that difference. Financial discipline helps you decide what you can afford to commit and how an artwork fits alongside your other assets and priorities. That makes the conversation more useful and more personal.

What interests you about Mr Phantom?

His ability to use familiar imagery to open a larger conversation. The Diana works bring together public memory, status and compassion. There is also a published sales history to examine: FAD reported £300,000 for The Guardian and £775,000 across the three Diana paintings. Those are specific reported transactions. Alongside that history, I want clients to examine the painting itself, its place in the artist’s practice and the qualities that make one work distinct from another.

And your connection with Pierre Simone’s work?

I respond to the way colour and mark-making carry feeling. Simone was born in Haiti, and the work draws on Caribbean heritage alongside the energy of New York and the influence of Basquiat. There is an immediate visual presence, then more to investigate through the figures and symbols. In a collection, that can create a strong conversation with other artists without requiring every painting to look alike.

Where do African artists fit into your approach?

Through individual voices and specific histories. I’m interested in how an artist’s background enters the work, and how a collector learns to recognise that language. African art offers many different practices, regions and generations to explore. I want to introduce clients to artists with enough context to make an informed choice. That means taking the work seriously on its own terms, rather than buying a geographical category.

Does that interest extend to Aboriginal Australian art?

Yes, particularly the relationship between an artist, community and Country. I would begin with the artist’s story, the source of the work and the documentation. You also need to understand how the artist is paid. That research is part of responsible collecting. A piece becomes more meaningful when you understand whose work it is, where it comes from and the cultural context in which it was created.

What does Gabrielle Malak bring to the conversation?

A different emotional register. Malak’s work explores identity, resilience and human experience through colour and figurative elements. I’m interested in what happens when a collector encounters that work alongside something more confrontational. A collection can hold different moods. My job is to help a client recognise the connection that makes those choices feel personal and deliberate, whether the works share a room or sit in different spaces.

How does La Maison Ani connect with that thinking?

The gallery’s placement of Gabrielle Malak’s portraits at La Maison Ani shows how art can become part of a setting people remember. Chef Izu Ani’s restaurant concept brings food, culture and design together. I see a shared interest in craft and experience there. A painting encountered over dinner can lead someone towards their first gallery visit. It gives art another place to be discovered and discussed.

You work with wealthy collectors. Why focus on first-time buyers too?

Because someone’s first purchase deserves serious attention. They may have a smaller budget, but their questions matter just as much. I want them to understand the artist, the work, the costs and what happens after purchase. Good service gives someone confidence to ask more questions. Helping a new collector develop their eye and make a considered first acquisition is a rewarding part of the role.

What are you taking into 2027?

A focus on relationships that continue after a sale. I want clients to keep looking, visiting exhibitions and following the artists they collect. My ambition is to build collections with character and a clear record of what was bought and why. When someone can explain their choices with confidence, and still finds something new in the work, that is a relationship worth developing.