Il Collection is a journey. It is an adventure undertaken by a group of friends, most of whom are art collectors with a strong interest in Israeli art, who wish to dig deeper into the contemporary scene of that art through meetings with artists, art curators, and practitioners.  After all, in this context, “collecting” art is not an activity as such, but rather the culmination of a long process of inquiry, understanding, and appreciation that these friends have undertaken together.

Under the name of Il Collection, the group has been jointly collecting Israeli art since 2013, amassing already a significant collection that is represented on this website. Although art collecting is normally considered a highly individualistic endeavor, reflecting the personal taste and inclination of a given collector, collecting as a group effort demands a commitment to a dialogue that, in itself, brings on a deeper understanding of the works and their context. In this way, collective collecting might be more akin to the way institutions amass their collections. Furthermore, since the works acquired by Il Collection are kept in storage, acquisitions are not influenced by any “domestic” or office installing concerns. That is why Il Collection has developed a more conceptual than sensual predilection, focusing on video, photography, and installation art. 

Central to Il Collection’s journey is the liaison it has forged with the Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Tel Aviv - Yafo and its team. The CCA is a young and growing, non-collecting institution that maintains a close relationship with the Israeli scene. Through the eyes of this institution then, members of Il Collection have a constant proximity to the challenging and ever-changing reality of art and culture in Israel. 

This website is being updated as Il Collection makes new acquisitions and/or embarks on other projects. It produces an inventory of the acquisitions but also introduces an ongoing series of projects to contextualize the works themselves and represent other endeavors of Israeli artists. Yet, to widen the scope of the collection, and contextualize its works, the website will present also works from the personal collections of its members.