From birth, humans are wired to observe the micro-expressions in other people’s faces to read their thoughts and emotions—sadness lurking behind a brave smile, for instance. Besides self-awareness, this understanding of others is key to human-to-human connections.

Our thesis is that only artists with sharp observation, a keen understanding of human nature, and superb painting skill can notice, process, and express the micro-expressions of their subjects.

Capturing micro-expression requires the highest level of technical skill, but also a still mind, and freedom from time pressure.

This is why our collection supports artists of proven technical skill and gives them the financial means, time, and mental space to create deeply meaningful works that capture all it means to be human.

We believe our art patronage model is unique in its depth, width, and length, as we offer our selected artists our deepest trust, wide artistic freedom, and long-lasting financial support, so they can truly devote themselves, for years if needed, to creating their grand personal masterpiece.

No deadlines or milestones. No monetary tit-for-tat. No artistic constraints with regard to subject matter. Once we have chosen our artists, and they have chosen us, we give them free rein.

For the first six months of the project we didn’t even ask, let alone see, what they were painting or otherwise doing to prepare for their painting.

Now we do. We invite them to step out of their comfort zone, be it physically or conceptually, for instance by traveling with them to exhibitions and cultural experiences on the other side of the globe to be exposed to refreshing stimuli that may show on their canvas.

Never patronizing patrons, we’d like to call ourselves “matrons of the arts” to convey the level of care and support to bring out the best in the masters we’ve found and to which we have committed our resources, from funding to networks, to on-going concern.