In the Frame: Komal Shah

What work of art made you see things differently?

Komal Shah: ‘Seeing paintings by Laura Owens and Jacqueline Humphries in 2014 was a turning point for me. I was struck not only by the ambition of the work, but by the gap between what I was seeing and the recognition these artists had received. It made me realize that artistic excellence is often easier to recognise than it is to acknowledge.

‘A few years later, I encountered the work of the Ukrainian-born artist Janet Sobel. Her remarkable drip paintings influenced Jackson Pollock, yet her own career never received the recognition it deserved. Sobel’s story reinforced something I had begun to understand: many extraordinary artists have been overlooked because of the systems surrounding them rather than the quality of their work. It also expanded my own understanding of what deserved to be collected, leading me to embrace textiles, ceramics, and other practices that had long been marginalised alongside the women who pioneered them.’

Which artist or designer from history do you wish you knew more about?

KS: ‘Hilma af Klint continues to fascinate me. Between her spiritual practice, her extraordinary technical ability, and her conviction that her work belonged to the future, she remains one of the most enigmatic artists in modern history.

‘She reminds me that art history is never fixed. It continues to evolve as new voices, new scholarship, and new perspectives emerge.’

Most memorable art or design show you've seen in the past year?

KS: ‘The exhibitions that stayed with me this year all challenged categories in different ways. The Marcel Duchamp exhibition at MoMA invited viewers to reconsider one of the defining figures of modern art through fresh eyes. New Humans, curated by Massimiliano Gioni [at the New Museum], explored how technology is reshaping our understanding of what it means to be human. And The Only True Protest Is Beauty at the Dries Van Noten Foundation dissolved the traditional boundaries between art, craft, fashion, and design. I left each exhibition seeing the world a little differently than when I walked in.’

What ritual or routine keeps you going?

KS: ‘A cup of fresh ginger chai, a morning conversation with my husband, Gaurav, and a snuggle with our miniature schnauzer, Hopper, start every day on the right note. When I’m travelling, I’m perfectly happy if I can find even one of the three.’

What are you reading currently?

KS: ‘I usually have several books open at once because they satisfy different kinds of curiosity. Right now I’m reading Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da Vinci, which beautifully captures Leonardo’s boundless curiosity and his early years. I'm also revisiting Modern Women, edited by Connie Butler, whose scholarship has profoundly shaped feminist art history, and returning to Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, which continues to influence how I think about perception, judgment, and decision-making.’

Where will you travel this summer, if at all?

KS: ‘I rarely miss Art Basel if I can help it, so my summer includes London, Basel, Le Mans — where my son, Bijoy, is racing the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans — Park City, and New York and the Hamptons. As much as I enjoy discovering new places, home has become increasingly precious. Summer in Silicon Valley has a quiet beauty and perfect weather that reminds me that not every meaningful journey requires a passport.’

You have focused on collecting female artists. What unique sensibilities do you think women artists possess?

KS: ‘I'm not sure there is a single ‘female sensibility.’ Women artists are as varied in their ideas and practices as artists of any gender. What has always interested me is that so many have created extraordinary work while navigating expectations outside the studio that their male peers often didn't face. Despite those obstacles, they continued to innovate and expand the language of contemporary art. Seeing artists like Joan Semmel, Kay WalkingStick, and Samia Halaby receive long-overdue recognition after decades of groundbreaking work is both inspiring and a reminder that art history is still being written.’

Your favorite view, anywhere in the world?

KS: ‘Sunrises never fail to fill me with optimism. But if I had to choose just one place, it would be watching the first light over Wailea Beach in Hawaii — the sound of the waves, the endless horizon, and the quiet reminder that every day begins with possibility.’

What are you working on currently?

KS: ’Some of the most meaningful things I've done began as thought experiments. I’m inspired by the moment when an idea stops being aspirational and starts changing people’s lives.

‘The Making Their Mark Forum was one such idea. It brought together artists, curators, scholars, collectors, and students, and I'm continuing to see the ripple effects through new collaborations and conversations. The Making Their Mark Foundation is now shaping its next chapter, from expanding our six-museum travelling exhibition to developing educational partnerships with New York City Public Schools that bring the work of women artists into classrooms. Looking back, it's remarkable that what began with buying a single painting has grown into a platform for scholarship, exhibitions, education, and community.

‘Over time, I’ve come to realise that building a collection is only the first step. Helping broaden the stories we tell about art — and whose voices become part of those stories — is the work that inspires me most.’

What are your favorite works on sale at Christie’s right now?

KS: ‘Joan Mitchell had an extraordinary ability to transform memory into gesture. This painting from 1966 possesses tremendous physical energy while remaining emotionally restrained—a combination that continues to fascinate me.

‘Carol Bove has an uncanny ability to make industrial materials feel unexpectedly lyrical. Her sculptures reward movement; every step around them reveals a new relationship between form, weight, and space.

‘Elizabeth Murray never accepted the inherited boundaries of painting. Her work remains playful, radical, and completely original, as seen in New Kidd, (2004) — qualities I admire enormously.

‘Few artists balance formal rigour and joy as effortlessly as Mary Heilmann. Even in editioned works, her optimism, intelligence, and unmistakable visual language shine through.’