From sport teams to festival owners, these tycoons are big art patrons

There are a great number of prominent figures in the sports industry besides the noticeable players. We are talking about the powerful and wealthy owners behind the sports world. Figures like Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones, who is also an active art collector. You can see great artworks in the AT&T Stadium from contemporary artists like Teresita Fernández, Doug Aitken, Jenny Holzer, and others. With an estimated net worth of around $7 billion, Jones has a personal art collection with works from Matisse, Renoir, and Picasso to name a few.

Philip Anschutz

Other great tycoons and art collectors include Coachella’s music festival owner, Philip Anschutz, who has a collection of at least 600 art objects related to the American West.

Nita Ambani

Nita Ambani, India’s richest woman, and co-owner of the Indian Premier League Mumbai Indians cricket team have also emerged as a major art world player. She established the Reliance Foundation, to promote postwar Indian artists. In 2016 she supported the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was named the first Indian honorary trustee of the museum in 2019.

Jim Irsay

Owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts paid $4 million for the Black Strat – the most expensive guitar ever sold at that time -.

Steven A. Cohen

The new owner of the New York Mets. Cohen is known for being a controversial trader but also one of the world’s most avid art enthusiasts. He has a collection valued at $1 billion with paintings and sculptures from Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and other great artists.

Steve Tisch

Not only does he has a Super Bowl ring thanks to his role as chairman of the New York Giants. Tisch has a private museum in his Los Angeles mansion, filled with works from his massive collection and curated by the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Michael Govan.

There are at least 200 top art collectors and major sports team owners such as John S. Middleton, Hasso Platner, David Thomson, and more. They are here to show that you can have multiple passions and magnificently collect sports and art.