I was born in Brazil and I came to Germany to do my “Konzertexamen” at the University of Music Karlsruhe. As a concert pianist and with my Brazilian heritage and Catholic influences, I developed a very eclectic taste for art and music.

There are huge African influences in Brazil and growing up there it was impossible not to get connected or in contact with voodoo and candomblé art and beliefs. I remember as a child, I’d see voodoo altars on the way to school and my mother would forbid me from touching the objects—she considered it black magic. These influences however, this mixture of history, heritage and Africa is in my body!

What motivated you to start collecting classic African art and antiques?

Even though I was surrounded by the rituals and beliefs from Africa, I never saw any real African art pieces in Brazil; I experienced the ritual but not the objects.

When I moved to Germany I started collecting master drawings and prints from the 16th to 19th century, and also developed an interest in modern art—pieces by Picasso and Klee—and the ways in which African art influenced the artists. I wanted to understand why great painters and sculptors decided to incorporate elements of Africa into their work. That initial question became an explosion of curiosity to discover as much as I could. Like many others, I began to read a lot of books and go to the major fairs; Bruneaf and Quai Branly in Paris. I also developed a network of collectors in Germany to learn from. That curiosity led to me purchasing my first piece of African art about four years ago and I haven’t looked back since.