Celebrity Art Collectors

We've rounded up a few of the actors, athletes, musicians, and designers who serve as ambassadors of art appreciation to the wider world of pop culture. Check out which artists inspire these celebrities to grow their collections.

Madonna has a $100 million-plus collection of art by the Modern greats, the Surrealists, the Art Deco artists, and contemporary stars like Damien Hirst.

Jay-Z works with art advisor Kim Hierston to build a collection including works by Ed Ruscha, David Hammons, and Laurie Simmons . . . when he's not busy rapping about Gagosian and including homages to contemporary art in his videos.

Marc Jacobs buys art almost as often as he changes styles by snapping up works by Karen Kilimnik, Mike Kelley, Ed Ruscha, Richard Prince, and John Currin.

Mary Kate Olsen is a collector to watch with taste in art that veers from Araki to Warhol, and in artist boyfriends from Nate Lowman to Max Snow. Or, if you are just a fan of the Olsen twins themselves, take a look at the Pop art-inspired work by Don Florence.

Steve Martin is a wild and crazy customer at Gagosian and Acquavella—where he buys everything from Picasso to Lichtenstein to Hockney to Cindy Sherman. He also writes novels about the world of dealers, gallerinas, and priapic collectors.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a mammoth $25 million art collection, and we've only glimpsed the tusk-tips with high-profile purchases of work by Neo Rauch, Atelier Van Lieshout, and Banksy.

Elton John is a supercollector when it comes to photography, owning more than 5,000 works by everyone from Man Ray and Edward Steichen to Nan Goldin and Richard Avedon.

Lance Armstrong makes history cycling and collecting great art. He combines philanthropy with his passion for art by teaming up with artist (and close friend) Dustin Yellin to create a work of art that benefits his LIVESTRONG charity.

To help you start your art collection, we've also included a few selections from our favorite up-and-coming artists. We expect to see these names on future celebrity collector round-ups: Sanford Biggers, avaf, Laura Lima, Curtis Mann, Francesca DiMattio, Rong Rong & Inri, and Jonah Freeman & Justin Lowe.