Bakehouse Art Complex and El Espacio 23 are proud to present Perspectives on Collecting, a panel discussion featuring notable Miami-based collectors Jorge M. Pérez and Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson, Jr. Presented in a lively, informal discussion format, the two collectors will share their insights on collecting art and design from two distinctly different perspectives.
Jorge M. Pérez, founder of El Espacio 23 and nationally recognized philanthropist, invests in diverse cultural production through his efforts and acquisitions of contemporary art from Latin America, Africa and their respective diasporas. Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson, Jr has amassed hundreds of thousands of objects that reflect the persuasive power of art and design in material culture from 1850 to 1950. Their passions for collecting have made them highly influential in their respective fields and have helped transform Miami’s cultural ecosystem.
The online program will be co-moderated by El Espacio 23 and Jorge M. Pérez collection Art Director Patricia Hanna and Bakehouse Art Complex Director and Wolfsonian-FIU Director Emerita Cathy Leff. It will take place on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 from 6 to 7 PM EST. To access the Zoom registration link, click here.
About Jorge M. Pérez
Jorge M. Pérez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Related Group, has led South Florida’s complex urban evolution for over 40 years. His commitment to “building better cities,” and natural ability to identify emerging market trends makes him one of the most trusted and influential names in real estate. A lover of art and an avid collector, Pérez infuses each development with museum-quality works of art. The carefully curated collections are proudly displayed throughout all Related developments, complementing each building’s unique character and often serving as prominent community landmarks.
Driven by a lifelong commitment to better his community, Mr. Pérez has grown to become one of the country’s most prolific philanthropists and recently established two foundations dedicated to the advancement of an equitable, thriving South Florida. The first, the Related Philanthropic Foundation, serves as the charitable arm of the Related Group, while the second, named The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation, functions as the Pérez family’s personal philanthropic fund. While each has its own respective focus, both foundations are dedicated to empowering and supporting organizations driving positive impact in the areas of economic development, education, health and well-being, the environment, and arts and culture.
Mr. Pérez also continues to support long-term causes, most notably, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), which was renamed in his honor following a $40-million-dollar gift in 2013. Over the years, Mr. Pérez has sustained his support of the institution through various gifts, both in cash and works of art. His most recent project, El Espacio 23 was launched in December 2019. Located within a repurposed 28,000 square foot warehouse in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood, El Espacio 23 serves artists, curators and the general public with regular exhibitions, residencies and a variety of special projects drawn from the Pérez Collection.
About Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson, Jr.
Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson, Jr., art collector and museum founder, is dedicated to the research, preservation, and education of material culture dating from 1850 to 1950 at
The Wolfsonian–Florida International University in Miami Beach and its sister museum,
The Wolfsoniana in Genoa, Italy. A Miami Beach native, he established the Wolfsonian Foundation in 1986 and began publishing The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Art. In 1997, Mr. Wolfson donated his collection to Florida International University (FIU), which remains the single largest gift to the State of Florida. More recently, he established the Wolfsonian International Council, an entity that supports an exchange of scholarship and exhibitions between The Wolfsonian–FIU and The Wolfsoniana.
In 2007, Mr. Wolfson was awarded the 11th Premio Rotondi ai salvatori dell'arte (Rotondi Prize to Art Rescuers) for his lifelong commitment to the preservation of art and architecture, as well as the 2007 Stewardship of Modernism award by the Russell Wright Design Center in New York. He co-authored the 2005 publication Miami Beach: Blueprint of an Eden with artist Michele Oka Doner. A trustee for the Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Foundation and the Mitchell Wolfson Family Foundation, he is also a member of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art and serves on the Executive Planning Committee of the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture. A graduate of Princeton University, Mr. Wolfson remains on the advisory council of the university’s Comparative Literature department. He received his master’s degree in international relations from the Paul N. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Wolfson divides his time between Miami, Paris, and Genoa.