Filippo Tattoni-Marcozzi on Building the Goss-Michael Collection with George Michael

Filippo Tattoni-Marcozzi recounts his journey from London to Dallas, where he helped shape the art collection of George Michael and Kenny Goss. After studying art history in London, he worked at Christie's and Hamiltons Gallery, Europe's leading photography gallery. There he met George Michael and Kenny Goss, who initially bought photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, Irving Penn, Horst, and Helmut Newton. Over time, their focus shifted to Young British Artists and contemporaries. Tattoni-Marcozzi left Hamiltons to establish the Goss Gallery in Dallas, later evolving into the Goss-Michael Foundation. He curated exhibitions and built the collection, which includes provocative works like Damien Hirst's Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain, Marc Quinn's blood heads, Tracey Emin's neon "George loves Kenny," and Sarah Lucas's phallic sculptures. George Michael preferred private acquisitions over auctions or fairs. The foundation also offers scholarships in art and music. A notable exhibition featured photographers Don McCullin, Gabriele Basilico, and Tomas Munita around John Lennon's piano, on which he composed "Imagine."