Cover Story

Jeff Koons: Art Star

By Matthew Simmons

He may be one of the most controversial artists of his generation, but the real Jeff Koons is a relentless perfectionist who - despite having millions in the bank and an enduring reputation - is still chasing the one thing he can't have.

Profiles

Yair Shamir: Bird's-Eye View

By Liliane-Carol Benoit

Solider, investment guru, aviation visionary, and IAI chairman Yair Shamir is giving everything he has to protect teh country he loves.

Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss: Just the Right Fit

By Julie Jacobs

Designer Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss turned her frustration with finding clothes that fit her body into a successful fashion line for all women.

Yankel Ginzberg: Portrait of the Artist

By Robert K. Epstein

Once displaced by war, Yankel Ginzburg has managed to establish deep roots and become one of the most prolific artists of his generation.

Nancy Brinker: The Purpose-Driven Life

By Nancy A. Ruhling

Former ambassador Nancy Brinker has merged her passion for Hungarian art with the pain of losing her sister to create an unforgettable legacy.

Moshe Kantor: Behind the Name

By Natalie Madell

Russian businessman and philanthropist Moshe Kantor has made it his life's mission to reveal the hidden truth about his country's preeminent artists.

Donald & Mera Rubell: Picture Perfect

By Linda Fisher Kaletsky

Starting on a teacher's salary in New York, Donald and Mera Rubell have built one of the country's most impressive collections of contemporary art.

John Kaldor: On with the Show

By Elisa Birnbaum

Whether it's covering Australia's coastline in cloth, floating above the Sydney Opera House while playing a cello, or creating a jail along Bondi Beach, textile mavine John Kaldor's unorthodox art projects are the hoteest act Down Under.

Myrna & Sheldon Palley: People in Glass Houses

By Bob & Sandy Nesoff

Before it went into mainstream, Myrna and Sheldon Palley began a collection of glass art that compelled a Florida museum to create a 3,500-square-foot expansion to house it.

Yuri Traisman: Strokes of Freedom

By Aliza Davidovit

Created behind the cloak of Communism, Yuri Traisman is offering his collection of Soviet-era art for all to see.

Milton and Joan Bagley: The Accidental Tourists

By Bob & Sandy Nesoff

"Plain folk" Milton and Joan Bagley turned a simple search for an anniversary present into a world-class collection of Latin American art.

Jonathan Greenspun: The Road Less Traveled

By Lois Elfman

Jonathan Greenspun turned his passion into a 15-yar-career serving the people of New York.

UpFront

• Broad give record $400 million to eponymous institute
• Billionaires unite for anti-smoking initiative
• Titanic star's time "time to care"
• Google boosts energy
• Hirst on top of the (art) world
• A look through the lens at LACMA
• Tickling Steinway's ivories
• GoodSearch for a good cause
• "Fake" Rembrandt surprises art community
• The evolution of the portrait
• Gates Foundation breaks ground on new campus

Events

• Appeal of Conscience Foundation
• Whoopi Goldberg Receives Humanitarian Award
• Stand Up to Cancer
• NetJets Poker Invitational
• Women of Action Luncheon
• Wiesel Foundation Honors France's President
• Ratner Honored in New York
• AICF
• Citi Private Bank's Roundtable

The Index

The Top 100 Art Collectors

The numbers are astounding: $25.7 million for a metal sculpture shaped like a balloon; $198 million for a complete show from a single artist, including a dead bull suspended in form-aldehyde, with golden hooves and golden horns, in a vitrine with a gold plate frame that went for $18 million. There may be a financial crisis hovering, but you'd never know it sitting in Sotheby's or Christie's, listening to hundred millionaires and billionaire's outbid each other. Lifestyles Top 100 Art Collectors is a reflection of the elite community making some artists wealthy, keeping auction houses busy and sending art values soaring.

ART EXHBITS

Calendar of exhibits from around the world.

TIPS

Five tips for establishing a timeless jewelry collection.

WHEELING & DEALING

Q & A with art advisor Jeffrey Deitch.