It is not too hard to draw a parallel between successful athletes and art collectors. Superiority in professional sports requires a high level of discipline, competitiveness, and commitment, characteristics easily applied to fine art aficionados. Knowing the wealth produced by top-notch professional sports (soccer, American football, tennis, basketball, etc.), the world's best athletes have the source of going for the luxurious hobby of collecting some of the finest art samples out there.
While we can try to get rich by predicting the outcomes of sporting events (betting) with the help of experts at different sites such as
BettingBilly, elite athletes earn our annual salaries in a week (some even do in a day). We have thus decided to create a list of the most popular sportsmen whose creative expression and natural affinities led them to collect art.
1 - David Beckham
David Beckham was one of the most popular players of his era. He was spectacular on the pitch, but at the same time drew attention for his off-court actions, namely bound to his marriage with Victoria. People know Becks as a model, too. Nevertheless, only his most dedicated fans are aware of his connection to the art. David and Victoria Beckham began collecting fine art back in 2002 and they have never stopped since. Their impressive collection includes popular works of contemporary art, including Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin, and Damien Hirst.
2 - Fabio Capello
We will stick to football (or soccer if you ask Americans) and talk a little bit about the famous Italian manager Fabio Capello. The former Italian and Russian national teams’ head coach is a close friend of
Piero Pizzi Cannella, a famous Italian contemporary artist. On the back of such friendship, he was influenced to express his love for the most extraordinary works. Some of the best designs from the likes of Mark Chagall and Wassily Kandinsky make just a small portion of his staggering $17-million collection.
3 – Amare Stoudemire
His magnificent on-court partnership with Steve Nash has brought Phoenix Suns’ fans to ecstasy so many times. The former NBA center, however, had another passion except for basketball. He expressed his love for fine arts in his early 20s when he bought precious works by Rob Pruitt, Hebru Brantley, Devin Troy Strother, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
4 – Alan Page
The NFL Hall of Famer had a very exciting life following his successful career in the most popular American sport. Alan Page earned a law degree and went on to serve as a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 to 2015. He also had a passion for art, particularly the one that dealt with the relations between races in the United States. He is a proud owner of the paintings made by Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Clementine Hunter.
5 – John McEnroe
John McEnroe was one of the best yet the most extravagant tennis players in the history of the game. He often reduced his inner spirits by purchasing elite contemporary art works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, andEd Ruscha, among others.
