# Founder of de PURY, Auctioneer, Art Dealer, Collector & DJ: Simon de Pury – Collecting, Taste & The Power of Curiosity Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gstaad-guy-podcast-7345461/founder-of-de-pury-auctioneer-art-dealer-collector-dj-simon-de-pury-collecting-taste-the-power-of-curiosity Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gstaad-guy-podcast-7345461/founder-of-de-pury-auctioneer-art-dealer-collector-dj-simon-de-pury-collecting-taste-the-power-of-curiosity.md Podcast: [The Gstaad Guy Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gstaad-guy-podcast-7345461) Published: 2026-04-15T04:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/GGQ3526615720.mp3?updated=1776166704 Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/GGQ3526615720.mp3?updated=1776166704 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-gstaad-guy-podcast-7345461/episodes/founder-of-de-pury-auctioneer-art-dealer-collector-dj-simon-de-pury-collecting-taste-the-power-of-curiosity Duration seconds: 5626 ## Resource The Gstaad Guy sits down with Simon de Pury, founder of de PURY, former chairman and chief auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company, former Europe chairman and chief auctioneer of Sotheby's, and former curator of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, to explore a life lived entirely in pursuit of beauty, curiosity, and the extraordinary. Raised on Swiss values and drawn to galleries and collectors from a young age, Simon reflects on how a deep obsession with art, music, and human connection shaped a career at the very centre of the global art world. The conversation moves through the philosophy of collecting, the evolution of taste, and why Simon believes everyone is a collector at heart whether they know it or not. He shares how art has become increasingly social, the barriers that have long defined the industry and the forces now dismantling them, and why the best pieces have a way of choosing their buyer rather than the other way around. Threaded throughout is the one tool Simon has always relied on as much as any eye for great work: humour. A generous, wide-ranging conversation about passion, obsession, and what it truly means to live with art. Filmed at The Twenty Two (London), Gingko Suite. Chapters: (00:00) Intro βœ¨πŸŽ™οΈ (01:24) Background πŸŒπŸ“– (02:07) The Gstaad Guy 🎿😎 (03:15) Humour πŸ˜‚πŸŽ­ (05:58) Charity Events 🀝🏻❀️ (08:50) Basel πŸŽ¨πŸ›οΈ (11:13) Curiosity πŸ”πŸ§  (13:47) Passion For Art 🎨❀️ (14:14) Collecting Is An Art πŸ–ΌοΈβœ¨ (18:45) Storytelling πŸ“–πŸŽ™οΈ (21:26) How Taste Evolves πŸ‘οΈπŸ“ˆ (26:04) Art Has Become Social πŸ“±πŸŽ¨ (29:47) Kanye West πŸŽ€πŸ‘‘ (31:49) Footballers Buying Art βš½πŸ–ΌοΈ (33:22) Tastemakers πŸ‘”βœ¨ (34:03) Fashion & Art πŸ‘—πŸŽ¨ (36:54) Showcasing Your Art πŸ–ΌοΈπŸ’‘ (39:48) Art Ecosystem πŸŒπŸ”„ (42:10) How Freeports Work πŸ¦πŸ”’ (48:21) Important Factors In Art βš–οΈπŸ”‘ (51:27) The Art Piece Choosing The Buyer πŸ–ΌοΈπŸ€πŸ» (… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-gstaad-guy-podcast-7345461/episodes/founder-of-de-pury-auctioneer-art-dealer-collector-dj-simon-de-pury-collecting-taste-the-power-of-curiosity/transcription-requests` β€” Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gstaad-guy-podcast-7345461/founder-of-de-pury-auctioneer-art-dealer-collector-dj-simon-de-pury-collecting-taste-the-power-of-curiosity.md` β€” Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.