At Michael's Home: Art, Entrepreneurship, and Intuition

For many people, art is something that hangs on the wall. For Michael Aiello, it's much more than that. Art is at the core of his daily life. From his art and framing business, he combines entrepreneurship with a strong personal connection to the works he collects and sells.

His home and workplace both revolve around the same premise: living with art.

From Fascination to Profession

Michael discovered his interest in art at a young age. Around fifteen, he started buying and selling artworks online. When a piece appealed to him and the price felt right, he took the risk.

Sometimes he sold a work at a profit and used that money to buy a larger or more interesting piece. This way, his collection slowly grew, and a trade naturally emerged.

During the pandemic, his path changed. He ended up in a framing shop, where he worked with art daily. When the owner unexpectedly passed away, Michael had the opportunity to take over the business. That moment proved to be a significant turning point.

From that moment on, his passion also became his profession.

Buying Art Based on Feeling

In the art world, there's often talk of market value, trends, and investments. For Michael, it starts elsewhere.

He only buys art that truly resonates with him.

Some art hypes, he believes, are artificially created, for example, through auctions or social media. A work can suddenly become popular without it being clear whether that value will last in the long term.

Therefore, he adheres to a simple rule.

If a work doesn't move him, he won't buy it.

Art should primarily evoke something.

Special Works in His Collection

Michael's collection consists of diverse works, each with its own story.

A unique object is a component of a strandbeest by Theo Jansen. This mechanical object moves by wind power and forms a fascinating combination of technology and art.

The ZERO movement also plays a role in his collection. An example is the work Shredded Value by Jan Hendriksen, which incorporates shredded dollar bills. The work raises questions about how we define value.

Additionally, he owns several works by Boris Lurie, an artist who survived concentration camps and processed his experiences in his art. These are intense and rare works with a strong historical significance.

Publisher of Art Editions

Since 2024, Michael has also been active as a publisher of art editions. He produces only a small number of projects per year and works only with artists who personally interest him.

An example is a collaboration with Mexican artist Jordi Alós. For this edition, multiple print layers and metallic details were used to make the work technically as strong as possible.

The edition size was deliberately kept small, only 35 copies.

When Does a House Feel Like Home?

For Michael, the answer is simple.

A house only truly feels like home when there is art on the walls.

For him, art determines the atmosphere of a space and gives meaning to the place where he lives. His interior therefore changes regularly, as works come and go, but the role of art always remains central.

Advice for Beginning Collectors

For people just starting to collect art, Michael has one important piece of advice.

Buy what you yourself find beautiful.

Don't be solely guided by expectations of increasing value or trends. Even if a work never increases in price, it remains valuable if it continues to move you.

According to Michael, that is where the true power of art collecting lies.