Baibakova with artist Jadé Fadojutimi. Courtesy of Maria Baibakova.

Where do you buy art most frequently?
At galleries, and the smaller the better. I believe that galleries are key to the art ecosystem. Whenever I land in a new city, the first thing I do is get in contact with the local gallerists— they are often the best gateways to access and understand the local cultural scene. A good gallerist is someone who supports the artist and relentlessly stewards their career in the right direction, making sure that curators and art critics are aware of the work, all the while educating their collectors.

Is there a work you regret purchasing?
I’m afraid there are such works, but I believe that happens to every collector as they evolve their taste and vision. In fact, I once heard the phrase that collecting is a “lifetime of regret”—you regret that you didn’t buy something when you could, or you regret that you bought it, despite being unsure. You regret you sold something when someone convinced you to, even though you did not want to part with the work, or you regret not taking that unsolicited offer when it came, because you could have parted with the work and bought something else instead.

How do you like to display your artwork?
On the walls, of course! I’m old school. I haven’t yet caught on to the idea of hanging a screen that features a rotating collection of NFTs, although I’m sure I’m sure I will live to regret my ignorance soon.

What work do you have hanging above your sofa? What about in your bathroom?
A diptych by Chemu Ng’ok, whose work the New Museum featured in a prior triennial. I am a big fan of the New Museum curators, as I work closely with them on my Artemis Council for women artists, which I started at the New Museum together with [director] Lisa Phillips in 2015. Margot Norton is great at spotting talent, and I am always learning from her.

My bathroom features a photograph by Marilyn Minter, who is force of nature and a powerful advocate for social change. I admire her relentless commitment to the democratic and women’s-rights causes that she champions. And the soap bubbles in the photo are appropriate for the above-the-bathtub location!

What is the most impractical work of art you own?
A video by Diana Thater that I love but can no longer play because I don’t have a video cassette player.

Baibakova and artist Tschabalala Self. Courtesy of Maria Baibakova.

What work do you wish you had bought when you had the chance?
A portrait by Amy Sherald.

If you could steal one work of art without getting caught, what would it be?
I would steal The Smoker, a painting by Natalia Goncharova in the Morozov Collection that is currently on view at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris on loan from the the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow—which is the first museum I ever went to as a Soviet child, and subsequently the first I ever worked for while in college.

What does art mean to you?
Art for me the ultimate reflection of the life to which it is contemporary. I am a student of art history and what I most appreciate about art is how it can be a gateway to understanding a period of time. Although I specialize in curating and collecting contemporary art, meaning art made after World War II, I often reflect on the fact that every artist was “contemporary” in their time. I appreciate artists for guiding viewers throughout time into a conversation about what was—and is—important.

What does style mean to you? How do you define the relationship between art and style, in your view?
Style is something that is subjective and personal—it cannot be easily taught or learned (although I wish someone would teach it to me)! I admire those who can connect architecture, art, design, lighting, crafts, and fabrics and create immersive settings, but at the end of the day personal style is something that feels authentic. The art a collector owns is just one expression of that person’s multifaceted personal history, and the more complex and expanded that visual narrative becomes, the more the artworks benefit. Style can feel effortless, but behind the veneer of “Oh, I just threw this together quickly” is years of commitment, research, knowledge, and a good dash of intuition.