Interview with Stéphanie Breydel, art historian, art consultant, and co-founder of Ts’Art — Legacy Forum
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At the Legacy Forum, the issue of inheritance is not limited to financial assets alone. Art collections and the way they are built, preserved, and passed on are also central to the discussions. An art historian and consultant in art and art collection management for private and corporate collections, Stéphanie Breydel explains how she helps her clients make art accessible, structure their collections, and prepare for the next generation.
Together with partners, she also co-founded Ts’Art, an organization that fosters dialogue between the art world and the business world.
Breaking down barriers: art is not just for insiders
For many, the art world seems like a closed-off realm, reserved for a select few. Auction records, widely reported in the press, featuring works fetching hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros, can give the impression that art is “not for them.”
Stéphanie Breydel points out, however, that a first piece of art is bought primarily on a whim:
art is, above all, about emotion and a daily presence in a living or working space.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek good advice. She suggests adopting a few simple habits:
- ask the artist or a professional (gallery, art advisor) for information,
- check the artist’s current activities, the fairs, museums, or exhibitions where their work is shown,
- consider the gallery representing them and its credibility,
- be wary of excessive speculation surrounding certain young artists who receive a lot of media attention.
She also emphasizes one point: there is never an absolute urgency to buy. It is better to take a step back and adopt a thoughtful approach that makes you feel comfortable.
From purchase to longevity: properly preserving and bringing a collection to life
In her work in art collection management, Stéphanie Breydel supports private and corporate collections far beyond the act of purchasing. Here she encounters issues similar to those in the financial world: management, organization, ensuring the longevity of an art legacy… and then its transmission.
One aspect that is often underestimated is conservation. A work that is hung improperly, or exposed to too much direct light, sunlight, or humidity, risks deteriorating. She therefore advises her clients on very practical matters: hanging conditions, environment, storage, and attention to materials.
She also emphasizes that factors such as the size of the artwork can play a role over time: a major piece by an artist whose career is established will be more readily sought after for exhibitions and will gain greater visibility. Here again, a professional’s perspective helps avoid certain pitfalls and build a cohesive collection that can continue to thrive.
Collection, NextGen, and transmission: a common thread with the Legacy Forum
At the heart of her work, the question of NextGen often arises: how can we prepare the younger generation to understand a collection, to take ownership of it, and sometimes to reinvent it? How can we make an art collection not just a collection of works to be preserved, but a space for dialogue between generations?
Stéphanie Breydel thus finds, in the artistic realm, challenges similar to those of financial heritage: thinking early on about sustainability, anticipating the handover, and organizing the transmission so that it makes sense.
On a more personal level, she also discusses her role as a mother: passing on a curiosity for art to her children, taking them to see exhibitions, visiting galleries and museums, but also looking at the works found in churches and places of worship. Seeing as much as possible, developing a critical eye, and broadening one’s sources of inspiration seem essential to her.
This dual approach—demystifying art and thinking about transmission over the long term—resonates directly with the themes of the Legacy Forum, at the intersection of the art world, families, private banks, and family offices.
About Stéphanie Breydel
Stéphanie Breydel is an art historian and art consultant. Her work in art consulting and art collection management focuses on managing private and corporate collections: defining collection guidelines, assisting with acquisitions, advising on provenance, authenticity, and the coherence of works, providing conservation recommendations, and reflecting on the collection’s longevity and transmission. She serves as a service platform for collectors and organizations seeking to structure and protect their artistic heritage.
She is also co-founder of Ts’Art, a separate entity dedicated to organizing art-related activities within and for corporations. Ts’Art designs custom programs to put art back at the heart of organizational life: tours of corporate art collections, lectures, “art luncheons,” cultural team-building activities, and visits to art fairs, galleries, or artists’ studios. The goal: to demystify art, raise awareness among companies that they sometimes possess a genuine artistic heritage, and create shared cultural experiences with employees and clients.
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