Page 10 - World of Art Contemporary Art magazine: The 2023 Guggenheim issue

THE ART OF COLLECTING ART COLLECTOR

INSIGHTS FROM AN EXPERT COLLECTOR.

GEORGE SERBAN: ART AND LAW
IN CONVERSATION WITH A PASSIONATE
ART COLLECTOR

WHAT MADE YOU DEDICATE YOURSELF TO A CAREER AS A LAWYER AND WHAT
ATTRACTED YOU TO THE LEGAL FIELD.
I graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1984 in Bucharest and was appointed judge
GEORGE SERBAN. FOUNDER AND MANAGER OF THE in Tulcea, and after 1988 I returned to Bucharest as a prosecutor. However, starting
LAW FIRM "SERBAN & ASSOCIATES", BUCHAREST
in 1991, I could not resist the temptation of the private area of law (which had just
ERBAN HAS A PASSION FOR CONTEMPORARY
ROMANIAN ART, AND HE OWNS SEVERAL HUNDRED appeared in Romania) and began to act as a business consultant, especially for
ARTWORKS BY RENOWNED ARTISTS. HE WORKS AT foreign investors, who after the 1990s began to come to Romania. It was only in 1995
HIS GREEN GATE OFFICE IN BUCHAREST, WHERE HE
DISPLAYS SOME OF HIS ARTWORKS AND ADVISES that the Law on Advocacy (still valid today) appeared, which offered me the possibility
HIS CLIENTS ON LEGAL MATTERS. of registering with the Bucharest Bar, as a lawyer, in the private area. I am part of a
generation that simply learned business law on the go and even more so, managing a
law firm. Before 1990, there was no such thing in Romania.
The Lawyer Who Loves Art: George
Serban on His Passion for Collecting
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES AND SATISFACTIONS YOU ENCOUNTER IN YOUR
Romanian Artists. In this interview, we
discover how George Serban balances his ACTIVITY AS MANAGER OF THE LAW FIRM "SERBAN & ASSOCIATES"?
career as a lawyer with his hobby of collecting In 1997, after several previous formulas, I founded a law firm, which grew from year
art by Romanian artists who have made their to year (at one point we had more than 10 partners and over 30 lawyers), which offers
mark on the world map.
assistance, consultancy and representation services for multinational companies
From Romania to the World: The
operating in Romania. I later named it "Serban & Associates". I specialized some
Remarkable Collection of George Serban.
of the lawyers in criminal law, ‘white collar’, with the firm being recognized both
This interview showcases the impressive
collection of George Serban, who has gathered nationally and internationally.
works by more than 1000 Romanian artists
who have settled in countries around the HOW DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR PASSION FOR ART AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO
world, where they have been or are still active.
BECOME AN ART COLLECTOR?
George Serban: A Collector with a
It is an old passion, from high school years. I was in Târgoviste, where I lived in the
Mission. In this interview, we learn about the
house of history teacher Longin Diaconescu, who had a library with thousands of
vision and goals of George Serban, who is not
only a collector of Romanian art, but also a books on history, philosophy, literature and art. I was in a good dialogue with the
promoter and supporter of Romanian artists in teacher from the beginning, and in the over two years that I lived in his house, he
Romania and abroad. simply made me a reading program, Antiquity and the Renaissance were often
How to Collect Art Like a Lawyer: George
discussed topics, these discussions practically marking the beginning of my interest
Serban Shares His Tips and Insights. This
in art. I fondly remember the first book recommended by the teacher - Agony and
interview reveals the secrets and strategies
Ecstasy, by Irving Stone, in which I also met and integrated Michelangelo into my
of George Serban, who has built a stunning
collection of Romanian art using his legal skills cultural being from then on. This story opened my appetite for the Renaissance, so I
and knowledge. started buying albums about Michelangelo’s work, Da Vinci, Rafael and other artists of
The Art of Giving Back: George Serban the era (the albums were published by Meridiane publishing house).
on His Philanthropic Activities. In this
interview, we find out how George Serban
WHAT CRITERIA DO YOU USE TO SELECT THE ARTWORKS YOU ACQUIRE AND WHAT
uses his collection of Romanian art to support
ARE THE MOST VALUABLE PIECES IN YOUR COLLECTION?
various causes and initiatives, such as
organizing exhibitions, producing catalogues, Over time, I have acquired Romanian art, European art (engraving and graphics),
and donating artworks to museums. Japanese prints and painting. At first I did it for my own pleasure, and in the last 10

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