Spanish-born businessman and art collector, Juan Antonio Perez Simon, who resides in Mexico, was photographed in Madrid on November 8, 2024. – AFP
Sixty years ago, Juan Antonio Perez Simon traveled to Europe as a penniless art enthusiast. Overcoming numerous challenges, he has since built an extraordinary collection, which is now being showcased for the first time in Madrid. 'I have always desired to share my works with the public,' the 83-year-old millionaire businessman, born in Spain, conveyed to AFP through a written exchange. 'It brings me immense joy.' Perez Simon's lifelong devotion to art has resulted in a collection that includes 4,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and decorative objects.
The exhibition at Madrid's opulent Cibeles Palace, titled '70 great masters of the Perez Simon collection,' runs until mid-January and is filled with artistic treasures spanning from the 16th century to the present day. It features works by renowned artists such as Van Gogh, Sisley, Picasso, Rubens, Goya, Monet, Renoir, Magritte, and Rothko. Perez Simon, who has spent most of his life in Mexico, has never before lent his collection to a museum in this manner, although some pieces have been loaned globally.
Following this exhibition, a new venue dedicated to 200 pieces from his collection is set to open in Madrid. This addition will complement the city's established art institutions—the Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen museums—which attract millions of visitors annually. Perez Simon mentioned that the loan would be long-term, though specifics are still being finalized. Madrid's city hall has confirmed that he has already agreed to oversee the securing, storing, and transporting of the works.
Born into a rural family in Spain's northwestern Asturias region, Perez Simon moved to Mexico at the age of five and later made his fortune in telecommunications. He became a trader and formed a close relationship with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, whom he described as his 'best friend' and 'brother' in a 2020 interview with Paris Match magazine. Upon returning to Europe in 1964 at the age of 23, his daily budget of $8 was spent on museum tickets to admire the artworks that had 'dazzled' him as a teenager, as he told AFP.
'Art is not a luxury,' Perez Simon asserted. 'Art is accessible to everyone.' When he had no money, he would purchase reproductions in museums. As his financial situation improved, he began to build his collection. However, he emphasized that money was never the driving force; it was the 'beauty' of the art and the emotions it evoked in him.
His insatiable passion for art means he has never sold any of the works he painstakingly collected over the decades. The collection has become 'part of my daily life,' finding a place in all his homes and offices—even in bathrooms and kitchens. Perez Simon stated that his 'quest for beauty has not ended yet'—though he remained discreet about the next pieces he might acquire, hoping they would 'surprise the public' in future exhibitions.
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