Lio Malca: Collecting by Instinct, Living with Art, and Opening Doors

Lio Malca, an art collector and hospitality entrepreneur, began collecting in the 1990s, drawn to artists of his generation such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and George Condo. His collection, built on instinct rather than market knowledge, now spans from Haring and Pedro Friedeberg to Vik Muniz, Marco Brambilla, Oscar Muñoz, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Yue Minjun, and Misaki Kawai. Malca's approach emphasizes vertical collecting, treating it as a biography of the artist. He has created spaces including Fundación La Nave Salinas in Ibiza, Casa Malca in Tulum, 60 White in Tribeca, and The Art Lodge, which blend foundation, hotel, exhibition venue, and residency. The exhibition 'Keith Haring: A World in Motion' at 60 White Street traces Haring's global connections beyond New York, including Tokyo, Paris, Milan, and San Francisco. Malca believes in being a temporary custodian rather than permanent owner, and he extends exhibitions into October in Ibiza to accommodate local school groups, welcoming nearly 1,000 students in some years. He aims to remove barriers between people and art, making it part of everyday life.