The top 10 collectors-2008

As banks cut jobs and equity investors' wealth evaporates, ARTnews has identified 200 people in the world who are still spending money.

Ukrainian steel billionaire Victor Pinchuk and Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helu are both on the magazine's list of the top ten collectors for the first time. Eli Broad, Ronald Lauder, Steven Cohen and Henry Kravis are holdovers from last year.


The list of the top 200 collectors includes developer Aby Rosen, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and brokerage executive Charles Schwab. Schwab was knocked out of the top 10.


Although art-loving billionaires are sprouting up around the world, the U.S. hasn't lost its dominance. Six of the top 10 collectors live primarily in the U.S. That's true of 107 of the top 200 collectors.


ARTNews's correspondents in 22 countries compiled the names by interviewing collectors, dealers, auctioneers, museum directors, curators and consultants.


''We don't pretend that it's the definitive list,'' ARTnews editor and publisher Milton Esterow said in an interview. ''But it's the best list around.''


The top 10 collectors, according to ARTnews:

Debra and Leon Black
Edythe and Eli Broad
Steven Cohen
Marie-Josee and Henry Kravis
Jo Carole and Ronald Lauder
Francois Pinault
Victor Pinchuk
Mitchell Rales
Carlos Slim Helu
Sheikh Saud bin Mohammad bin Ali al-Thani
(Bloomberg)