The bikes pass by so close that I feel a gust of wind on my shoulder. I have to squint to read the signs because I am blinded by the sun reflecting off the canal; but – here it is, Lijnbaansgracht 290A. I push the door open and meet Alex Daniels, art collector, gallery owner and curator behind Reflex Amsterdam.
Alexander Daniëls started collecting at 12 and has spent four decades navigating the art world. His gallery has worked with artists like Nobuyoshi Araki, Todd Hido, and David LaChapelle, while publishing over 50 artist books. He knows what it's like to hunt for that first meaningful piece and how to build relationships that open doors in the art world.
The First Investment That Started Everything
What was the first artwork that you bought?
The very first artwork I bought, I was actually quite young. I had done some TV commercials as a kid, and with that money I bought a work on paper by Karel Appel. He often came into my parents' shop at the time and became an acquaintance of the family. He honoured me by letting me have the work for a very fair price, as he liked the fact that, as a young kid, I wanted to own something of his.
My parents had a clothing store in Amsterdam and were already pioneering in the early 80s by selling designers like Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler and Yohji Yamamoto, and they were also in the early days of collecting art themselves. So from an early age I was made aware of art, and that first Appel was what I bought from my own earnings as a 12 year old child.
In that same year, 1986:
I met Keith Haring on the street as a young fan. I didn't have any paper with me, so I asked him to make some drawings on the pocket money I was carrying to go to the movies.
Later I brought him to my parents' shop, which he loved, and we ended up doing a trade—ink drawings for clothes. One of those drawings has been in my house ever since.
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Developing Your Taste in Art
How did you cultivate your taste?
That's a good question. My taste has definitely changed over time, and it continues to.
I've always had a very eclectic taste, but the common thread is that I need to feel the realness in a work, the "blood," so to speak.
It doesn't matter whether it's abstract or figurative, painting or sculpture, when it really hits you, when it moves you emotionally, there's a certain magic. That's usually the moment where, if it's financially possible, you want to own it, to have it around you.
So in cultivating my taste, I've seen it shift: some things became less relevant to me over the years, while others grew on me slowly and I came to love them more and more. I can't explain exactly why that happens, it's organic, but it's always guided by that emotional impact. They say that you should never have emotion in business but for me that is only partly true.
When You Fall in Love With Art at a Friend's House
Imagine someone falls in love with an artwork at a friend's house and wants to buy their first piece from that artist. Where do you begin?
There are many ways to approach that. Nowadays you can already find a lot about an artist's practice online. You can read about their work, dive deeper into what they do, and sometimes you even end up loving it more as you learn about it. Through that research you might also discover where the right places are to buy their work.
Of course, you can simply ask your friend directly where they bought that piece. But most importantly, try to find the artist's primary gallery, or at least people who are close to the artist, so you can acquire the work through the right channels.
Sometimes artists have only one or two representatives, which actually makes it quite clear, you have a more direct line to their work. When an artist is represented in many different places, it just becomes more important to know which gallery is really closest to the artist and offers the right context. That way you know you're buying from the right place.
The Three Mistakes New Collectors Fall For
Three common mistakes to avoid when buying your first art piece.
1. Not listening to yourself. It simply has to feel right. When it does, and nothing holds you back, you're probably on the right path. If you already feel hesitation, whether for financial reasons, doubts about the artist's vision, integrity, or any other uncertainty it's usually better to wait.
2. Buying only as an investment. Even if the work never increases in value, the real investment is the joy and inspiration it gives you. If you truly love the piece, then it has already been a good investment. I have pieces from over 20 years but they still do not bore me, whatever the current market value is.
3. Following the crowd instead of finding your originality. You have to listen to your own voice and your own curiosity. By looking, reading, and engaging with art, you will organically discover what suits you and what doesn't, and that is what makes your environment and your collection original. If you only follow trends, you risk ending up with the same as everyone else: like visiting five different homes that all have the same brown kitchens and marble interiors. The point is to avoid that, and to build something that truly reflects you, in my opinion. Over time your taste may change, and that's part of the journey. It will be interesting to look back at some point to what you liked back then and what you like right now.
No Cash? Start With Trading Your Skills
Is it possible to start an art collection without capital?
I do think it's possible to start a collection without capital. It depends on your environment, and also on what kind of "capital" you mean.
Your talent can also be your capital. Maybe you have something to offer an artist, whether it's writing, design, photography, or another skill, and instead of being paid in money, you can be "paid" with a work of art.
That way you don't just earn, but you actually end up living with a piece.
So if you build genuine relationships with artists, and you can offer something of interest in return, there are creative ways to start collecting even with limited means. Of course, it always depends on the artist and their openness.
Another way is through editions or multiples, which are more affordable.
Discovering Tomorrow's Talent Today
How do you discover interesting talent and what do you look out for in the artists that become part of your collection?
I'm constantly surrounded by art. I go to many fairs, follow all auctions, and work in the business. So I'm always busy with it. But often it comes down to an underbelly feeling: if something sticks with me, despite my shortened attention span especially at art fairs, then it's usually something I want to look at more closely.
For me, it's mostly about whether the work gives me something to reflect on a daily basis. It has to do something to me when it's in my environment, like the pieces I recently purchased by Erwin Wurm and Harland Miller.
When it comes to younger talent that I collect, like Lucienne O'Mara or Peggy Kuiper, the first time I saw their work it did something strange to me.
When something feels a bit weird, it also somehow pulls me in. Usually it's because I see something very new, something I haven't encountered before.
Sometimes it's a little radical, or it speaks in a language I don't yet know. And that's exactly what makes it interesting for me to dive deeper.
I also follow the secondary market when I can find something special by established artists I've admired for years. For example, I was very happy to acquire a piece from Jonathan Lasker, who has such a "one of a kind" visual language as well as Allen Jones, which I still think is a classical and cult figure in the modern contemporary art world.
The Man Behind The Gallery
Alexander Daniels is a gallery owner and curator based in Amsterdam with 25 years of experience in the contemporary art world. His gallery has published over 50 artist books and organized exhibitions for legendary artists including Nobuyoshi Araki, David LaChapelle, and Michael Craig-Martin.
