Kim Manocherian is a well-known art collector who built a strong name in the art world through her simple, honest, and personal way of collecting. She lives in New York and has spent many years studying, buying, and caring for art that speaks to her heart. People know her because she follows her own eye and her own feelings instead of chasing hype or market trends. Her work and voice matter because she supports many artists who often don’t get enough attention, especially women and new rising names.
Kim Manocherian has been collecting art for almost 40 years. Over time she built a rich and meaningful collection that people admire. Her collection is known as the Scheherazade Collection, inspired by the storytelling spirit of the famous character from A Thousand and One Nights. This name reflects how she sees art. She believes every piece of art holds a story, a voice, and a message.
Her philosophy is simple. She collects art that creates a strong feeling inside her. She trusts her own reaction. This style makes her different from many collectors who focus on investment or trends. For Kim, art is a personal journey. This idea sets the tone for her entire collection and helps people understand why her story is important.
Origins & Early Influences
Kim Manocherian grew up in a home that mixed two different cultures. Her father’s side comes from Iran and her mother’s side comes from England. This mix gave her a wide view of life, style, stories, and art. She saw many types of design, objects, and creative ideas from a young age. This early exposure helped her build a natural eye for beauty and emotional expression. She often says that she learned to pay attention to details because her home was filled with pieces that carried meaning.
Kim also spent many years working in her family’s business. She served as the CEO of their well-known club company. This role trained her mind in a strong way. She learned how to make decisions with confidence, stay organized, and trust her own judgment. These skills later shaped her collecting style. She does not buy based on fear or pressure. She buys based on clarity and instinct, something she practiced in business every day.
Her art journey began in a simple and personal way. Her first pieces were works that created a deep emotional reaction. She never started with the thought of building a large collection. She only bought what she felt connected to. One piece led to another. Over time she noticed how much joy and comfort art brought into her life. That early beginning became the start of a long collecting path that eventually turned into the Scheherazade Collection.
The Scheherazade Collection: Name & Concept
Kim Manocherian named her collection “Scheherazade”, inspired by the well-known storyteller from A Thousand and One Nights. Scheherazade is remembered for her courage, wisdom, and powerful storytelling. She used stories to express truth, emotion, and human experience. Kim chose this name because she believes every artwork carries a story in the same way—not through words, but through feeling, expression, and deeper meaning.
This idea matches her approach to collecting. She looks for art that speaks with emotion. Art that makes you pause. Art that makes you think. Scheherazade told stories that connected people to human life, and Kim collects pieces that do the same. Each painting, sculpture, or drawing adds a new voice to her collection, almost like another chapter in a long, ongoing story.
The name also reflects who Kim is. She values storytelling, history, memory, and personal truth. Her collection is not built around trends or famous names. It is shaped by connection and emotion. The Scheherazade concept shows that Kim wants her collection to feel alive, full of meaning, and rich with different voices. It highlights her focus on artists who express deep human stories, especially women and under-represented creators who bring new perspectives to the art world.
Collecting Philosophy: Intuition Over Trends
Kim Manocherian follows a simple rule when she buys art: she chooses pieces that create a strong feeling the moment she sees them. She often explains it as a physical reaction, like something that moves inside her. This is why she says she buys only what she “responds to viscerally.” She does not study market charts or follow price predictions. She begins with emotion first, logic second.
Kim’s collection shows her deep respect for female artists and under-represented voices. She believes these artists carry stories that need space and attention. Many of her most meaningful pieces come from women who express personal, cultural, or emotional experiences that often stay unseen in the art world. Her choice reflects her belief that art should show real human life, not just fame or popularity.
She stays away from hype. She does not buy because something is trending or because a piece is expected to increase in value. Instead, she trusts her own eye. She walks through galleries and museums with calm focus, letting instinct guide her. This approach gives her collection a strong personal identity. Every piece connects to her, not to the noise of the market. This trust in intuition is what makes Kim Manocherian’s path different and respected in the world of art collecting.
Highlights Of The Collection & Key Artists
Kim Manocherian is known for having the largest private collection of Paula Rego’s works. This is a major achievement because Paula Rego is one of the most powerful and influential artists of our time. Her work carries deep emotion, strong themes, and fearless storytelling. Kim’s connection to Rego’s art shows how much she values honesty, courage, and human expression. Having such a large group of her pieces also shows Kim’s long-term commitment. She didn’t collect these works for popularity. She collected them because the stories inside them touched her.
Her collection also includes pieces from other standout artists. She owns works by Alice Neel, known for raw, honest portraits. She has pieces by Sarah Lucas, who uses humor and bold shapes to express human behavior. She also has works from Louise Bourgeois, an artist famous for exploring memory, emotion, family, and inner life. Each of these artists brings a different voice and feeling, and Kim brings them together through her own sense of connection.
Some of her major acquisitions show how wide her taste is. One known highlight is the Andy Warhol shoe print portfolio, a bright and iconic set that adds a fun and stylish touch to her collection. She also has bold sculptures placed across her large terrace. These outdoor works create a strong visual moment when you step into her space.
Her collection lives inside her Manhattan penthouse, which she designed around the art. Large pieces fill open walls. Smaller works sit near windows and sitting areas. Sculptures on the terrace stand near city views. The space feels warm, personal, and full of stories. She does not treat the art like museum objects. She lives with it. She lets it become part of her daily life, which shows how deep her connection to each piece truly is.
Role As Collector & Patron
Kim Manocherian is not only a private collector. She also supports the art world in ways that help many people, not just herself. She often lends important pieces from her collection to museums and major institutions. This gives the public a chance to see powerful works that would normally stay inside a home. Her loans help museums create stronger exhibitions and help artists gain more visibility. She also donates works when she feels they will add real value to the institution. This shows her commitment to sharing art, not keeping everything closed off.
Kim cares deeply about emerging artists, especially women who carry strong personal stories in their work. She likes to find talent early. She gives new artists a chance to be seen. She supports narratives that talk about identity, memory, culture, and human experience. Her collection includes many voices that are often overlooked, and she brings attention to them with respect and care.
She sees collecting as stewardship. This idea means she believes she is responsible for protecting the art, caring for it, and allowing it to grow in meaning. It is not about ownership or status for her. She feels every piece has a life of its own. Her job is to make sure the work is valued, understood, and kept safe for the future. This mindset is one reason why many people admire her. It shows that her connection to art is human, sincere, and long-term.
Challenges, Regrets & Learning
Even with a long and successful collecting journey, Kim Manocherian has moments she looks back on with a bit of regret. One example is a Paula Rego piece she once had the chance to buy but waited too long. The work slipped away. This moment stayed with her. It taught her to trust her first reaction. If something speaks to her, she listens right away. She sees this not as a mistake, but as a lesson that shaped her stronger intuition.
Her taste changed over the years. In the beginning, she chose pieces that felt safe. Works that were easier to understand. As time passed, she opened herself to bolder ideas. She learned to choose art that challenged her and touched deeper emotions. Today her collection shows confidence, honesty, and courage. This growth came slowly, through experience, patience, and exposure to many artists and stories.
Kim often shares simple advice for new collectors. She says the best way to learn is to look. Look at many artworks. Look in museums. Look in galleries. Look in books. The more you see, the stronger your eye becomes. She also tells people to trust their feelings instead of the market. If a piece creates a connection, that is enough. She believes collecting should bring joy, understanding, and emotional truth. Not pressure or fear. Her learning and her challenges built this wisdom, and she shares it to help new collectors start with confidence.
What’s Next: The Future Of Her Collection
Kim Manocherian thinks about the future of her collection in a warm and thoughtful way. She hopes the next generation of her family will enjoy the art with fresh eyes. She wants to bring in pieces that feel light, playful, and full of humour. She likes the idea of adding more whimsy so her grandchildren can grow up around art that makes them smile and feel curious. For her, the collection is a living part of the family, so she wants it to grow with them.
She continues to watch artists who come from places and voices that people often overlook. Middle Eastern art is especially close to her heart because of her own heritage. She also pays attention to young artists who are just starting to build their voice. She looks for honesty more than anything. She enjoys discovering creators who paint or sculpt from personal truth instead of popularity.
Kim thinks of her collection as something that should be seen and enjoyed by many people, not locked away. She hopes the pieces will be shown in exhibitions, shared with museums, and used to inspire future artists. She wants the collection to keep telling stories long after her. Her dream is for the Scheherazade Collection to stay alive, full of meaning, and open to the world.
Conclusion
Kim Manocherian’s journey shows that collecting art is more than buying objects. It is a personal story. It is a way to express truth, emotion, and identity. Her choices highlight the power of supporting women artists and voices that often stay unseen. She follows intuition instead of investment charts, and she builds her collection with heart, honesty, and depth. This approach gives her work real meaning and makes her story important for anyone who wants to understand the human side of art collecting.
What makes Kim stand out is her commitment to emotion, storytelling, and respect for artists. She collects with care. She shares her pieces with museums. She treats her role as a responsibility, not status. Her Scheherazade Collection continues to grow like a story that never ends. Each piece adds a new voice. Each voice adds a new truth. Her path reminds us that art lives through the stories we see, feel, and pass on.
FAQ’s:
Who Is Kim Manocherian?
Kim Manocherian is a respected art collector from New York. She is known for her emotional and intuitive approach to collecting art and for building the Scheherazade Collection over almost 40 years.
What Is The Scheherazade Collection?
The Scheherazade Collection is Kim’s personal art collection. She named it after the storyteller from A Thousand and One Nights. The name reflects her belief that every piece of art carries a story.
Why Is Paula Rego Important In Her Collection?
Kim owns the largest private group of Paula Rego’s works. She feels a strong emotional connection to Rego’s storytelling style and powerful themes. This makes Rego a key part of her entire collection.
What Type Of Artists Does Kim Manocherian Support?
She supports women artists, new voices, and creators who speak with honesty. She focuses on under-represented artists because she believes they bring fresh and important stories.
How Does Kim Choose What To Buy?
She buys based on feeling. If a piece creates a strong reaction inside her, she considers it. She avoids hype, trends, and market pressure.
Does She Lend Her Art To Museums?
Yes. Kim often lends important pieces to museums so the public can see them. She also donates select works when she feels they will add real value.
What Challenges Has She Faced In Collecting?
One challenge she mentions is missing a Paula Rego piece she loved. This regret taught her to trust her first reaction and follow her eye without delay.
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Disclaimer
The information in this article about Kim Manocherian is gathered from publicly available sources and is shared for general knowledge only. This content is not official, and it should not be taken as professional or personal advice. Details may change over time, and readers are encouraged to verify information from trusted sources. We do not claim any direct connection with Kim Manocherian or her representatives.
