The collector
About
Radek Kotarski (officially Radosław Kotarski) is a writer, journalist and populariser, including of contemporary art. In Poland he is known for Polimaty, for television and for his podcast with Dawid Podsiadło, where among other things he talks about contemporary art. His collection grew out of the same instinct as the rest of his work: to talk about difficult things plainly and without airs, so they reach everyone.
The collection takes shape between Lisbon and Warsaw. Warsaw keeps it close to the Polish scene it comes from. Lisbon opens a door to the rest of Europe, because Radek wants Polish art to be seen beyond Poland too.
There is a hard cap of 250 works. Not a small collection, but tight enough that Radek knows every painting individually and treats each one a bit like an old friend.
Day to day these paintings hang in the homes of Radek's friends and travel to the best institutions. That is exactly what they were bought for. The point is not to own them but to show them and talk about them, which is also why Radek likes to stand in front of each work himself and tell you what it is, where it came from and why it gives back more than a single glance. That is where the Seven-Minute Rule and the filmed rooms come from.