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Art & Culture

The Collectors: Patrick Perrin

The PAD London founder is passionate about 18th- and 19th-century French drawings, African coins, and yari-saya spear sheaths from Japan

By Jill Sieracki
Smiling man in glasses wearing a black suit stands in a well-lit office with artwork and a large window in the background.
PAD founder Patrick Perrin, whose home in Saint-Germain- des-Prés, Paris, features layered vignettes from his myriad collections. Photo: Anna Kaminova, Courtesy of PAD London

As the founder of PAD, the biannual design fair taking place in Paris and London, Patrick Perrin is exposed to an endless parade of stellar works from around the world. He is a lifelong collector, with passions that are just as varied as his holdings, from 18th- and 19th-century French drawings to African coins and yari-saya spear sheaths from Japan, which he displays in layered vignettes that are constantly shifting as he parts with some pieces and acquires others.

“My entire life has always revolved around art and objects,” says Perrin, who just oversaw PAD London’s 15th anniversary installation. “I am a compulsive collector. When I find something I love, I have to buy it.”

Man in a dark suit and yellow sneakers standing in an office with computers and large windows in the background.
PAD founder Patrick Perrin, whose home in Saint-Germain- des-Prés, Paris, features layered vignettes from his myriad collections. Photo: Anna Kaminova, Courtesy of PAD London

Career influence: “I collect because I’ve been a dealer; now I am a fair organizer, and I am a fair organizer because I collect works of art. Collecting has always been part of my life.”

Oval-shaped artistic table with an earthy-toned top featuring abstract patterns, supported by geometrically shaped metal legs.
Reconciled Fragments Low Table by T-Sakhi. Photo: Thierry Depagne; Courtesy of Galerie Gosserez and PAD London
Elegant room with tall gray curtains, decorative masks, a ceramic vase on a pedestal, and wooden shelves with books and artwork.
Patrick Perrin’s home in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris. Photo: Matthieu Salvaing, Courtesy of PAD London

Acquisition strategy: “Absolutely none, just a feeling, a desire, an irresistible urge, one that is immediate and deprived of any rational thinking.”

Common thread: “Apart from my uncontrollable collecting habit that would make me buy several paintings or ceramics from an artist I fall in love with, there is no common thread in my choices. Just an emotion.”

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2023 Late Fall Issue under the headline “The Collectors.” Subscribe to the magazine.