For Bryan Walsh, collecting art dates to the magical moments of his youth, when he and his brother left their West Palm Beach home and traveled to Vincennes, Indiana, to stay with their cosmopolitan, creative maternal grandmother during the summers. There, she shared her passion for art, theater, music, and food, and set a tone that Walsh would eventually carry on with his husband, Matthew Holland.
Walsh and Holland recently moved from an older, smaller home to the renovated penthouse of West Palm Beach’s Lands of the President condominium—a 3,000-square-foot space with sweeping golf course views and plenty of opportunity to nurture the seeds Walsh’s grandmother planted.
“My grandmother was mesmerizing,” says Walsh, director of DTR Modern Galleries in Palm Beach. “I loved staying in her home, where she allowed me to develop my creativity and learn about the art she collected. I spent so much time with her that she remains a big influence.”
The couple’s new place is filled with colorful art and sculptures, from one end to the other, including the laundry room, Keith Haring–covered powder room, and large balcony. Inside, the stark white walls and contemporary furnishings allow the art to pop, like living in a technicolor world.
The collection is 30 years in the making, and Walsh says he started small; one of his first pieces was a Salvador Dalí etching his grandmother gave him. From there, he got into the art business in 1997, after time in a corporate telecommunications position and earning a culinary degree but deciding not to work as a chef. At the Gasiunasen Gallery in Palm Beach, he discovered how art brought happiness to his customers—and how this kind of insider access amplified his interest in collecting.
“I’m an art junkie,” he says. “I don’t have to look far and wide for what I want. I see what gives me joy and I buy it, just like my customers.”
Holland, who grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a fashion background and works as the assistant manager of Italian clothing brand Peserico’s Palm Beach store. He leaves the collecting and curating to Walsh.
“We live in an art gallery in the sky,” Holland says. “I love Bryan’s selections and how they look in the whole magical space.”
Walsh chooses art to procure “based on color, whimsy, and the intellectual aspects that intrigue me,” he explains, noting that collecting itself is a creative endeavor. When he spots something that he likes, he experiences an ignition of imagination. “My inspiration runs wild when I see something that captivates me or makes me think. I think about how it will look in our home.”
The diverse collection includes works from such artists as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Louise Nevelson, Matt Devine, Pablo Picasso, and Hunt Slonem. Even the furniture is collectible: Barcelona chairs, sofa, and ottomans by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, lounge chairs by Le Corbusier, and Emeco Hudson chairs by Philippe Starck surrounding the brushed aluminum dining table base by Jane Manus. When the couple walk through the front door, they pass a work by French-born, Los Angeles–based street artist Mr. Brainwash and experience the dreamy fascination of the immediate living space, which is a veritable rainbow of art poised against the blue sky and green golf course views visible through expansive windows.
“Matt and I are thrilled with how the backdrop and views showcase the collection, which is extreme in color yet actually breathes in this space,” Walsh says, adding that their previous home was not as conducive to showing the art. “We now have high ceilings, clean lines, and contemporary furnishings against an amazing view of the outdoors.”
The vibrant public area—living room, dining space, and media room—gives way to a black-and-white, art-filled hallway that leads to the primary bedroom. They wanted their bedroom to be neutral and soothing. “It’s like a reverse Wizard of Oz,” Walsh quips.
The bedroom art includes works by American artist, photographer, and filmmaker Robert Longo, Polish artist and sculptor Igor Mitoraj, and Italian artist and designer Piero Fornasetti. The primary bath showcases Slovakian mixed-media artist Juro Kralik and French sculptor and painter Sacha Sosno.
While most of Walsh’s inspiration and purchasing comes from his daily accessibility to art, when he and Holland travel, they look for works that intrigue them. For example, the lighted strips on the small steps that lead from the penthouse’s front door to the living space were inspired by a hotel in Rome they visited a couple of years ago. They also bought art in Australia during a vacation.
“We don’t buy on every trip,” Walsh explains. “But it’s safe to say that I am always looking.”
The entire move has been rewarding for the couple with one exception: the period between their exit from the former house and the first night they were able to sleep in the new penthouse. The process, which took more than a year and a half with renovations, had the couple living in hotels and short-term rentals. “Since all of our art was in storage, I felt like I was separated from my children,” Walsh says.
Now that they’re reunited with the collection, they’re also enjoying getting to know their neighbors with twice-monthly—and often themed—dinner parties. The bar is a focal point for such gatherings. Walsh designed the translucent piece in white quartz and stainless steel as another nod to his grandmother.
Inviting friends to their home for catered affairs gives Walsh the excuse to showcase his other collections—of tea sets, coffee services, and dinnerware by artists and designers that include Damien Hirst, Hermès, Maurizio Cattelan, Versace, Piero Fornasetti, Arman, and Artes Magnus. It also provides Walsh and Holland the chance to share their gallery in the sky that gives them so much joy. “I love opening the door and walking in,” Walsh says. “It’s a threshold to another world, a visual paradise that we created.”
Collecting Advice
As an avid collector and fine art professional, Walsh shares thoughts on collectible established and emerging artists
Established blue-chip artists are a good bet for collectors. “These artists do nothing but go up in value,” Walsh says. A few he describes as “good investments” are:
- Andy Warhol
- Damien Hirst
- Keith Haring
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Jeff Koons
Mid-tier and emerging artists that “are in museum collections,” Walsh says, “or will likely be at some point,” include:
- Nelson De La Nuez
- Halim Flowers
- Rainer Lagemann
- Juro Kralik
- Hunt Slonem
In addition to the collectible artists above, Walsh says Matt Devine, Robert Mars, and Kelly Reemtsen are artists to watch.
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