'I think Frieze Los Angeles is exactly what the city needs right now': Sophia Cohen on the healing power of art

Aged 13, Sophia Cohen bought a Roy Lichtenstein-inspired work: "My siblings made fun of me for spending all my allowance" Photo: Molly Matalon
Sophia Cohen wears many hats. Following a stint as an associate director at Gagosian, she founded the advisory and cultural consulting firm Siren. She is the arts editor-at-large for Cultured magazine, co-chairs the Young Collectors Council at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, helped launch the Global Ambassadors initiative at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is a member of the Milken Institute’s Young Leaders Circle and helped curate a range of artist-designed merchandise for the New York Mets baseball team (owned by her father, Steven Cohen, another taste-making collector).
Cohen’s collection includes The Haas Brothers (left) and Shio Kusaka (top right), plus a Yoshitomo Nara ashtray Photo: Molly Matalon
In addition to all her work encouraging and supporting a younger generation of collectors, she has built up a personal collection that represents a who’s-who of established and fast-rising contemporary artists, from Rashid Johnson, Fiona Waterstreet and Jonas Wood to Anna Park, Chanel Khoury, Matt Johnson and Anna Weyant. Ahead of this week’s fairs she discussed one of her most recent acquisitions, what work she most covets in a museum collection and why the art world’s support for Los Angeles is so crucial in the present moment.
The Art Newspaper: How were you affected by the wildfires in January?
Sophia Cohen: What a harrowing experience that pales in comparison to the countless people who lost everything. Fortunately, we didn’t lose our home, but seeing the fire so close from our backyard was one of the scarier things. Hearing the stories of friends and families who lost everything was heart-wrenching. My husband and I are doing everything we can to help the people in our community to rebuild.
What are you looking forward to during Frieze Los Angeles this year?
I think Frieze Los Angeles is exactly what the city needs right now. To remind everyone that art can heal, bring communities together and showcase the city in a beautiful way. It will be great to see the global art community and friends this week—I am very much looking forward to that.
Where do you like to eat and drink in or near Santa Monica?
I am more of a homebody when it comes to eating, but nothing beats the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Anytime I get down there, I make it a point to go on the day of the market to get the fresh produce.
What was the first work you ever bought?
When I was 13, I bought a Roy Lichtenstein-inspired work that my siblings made fun of me for spending all my allowance on. It’s safe to say that started the addiction to buying things that may be a bit above my price range—but always worth it.
Art-world digits: Cohen’s collection includes Spawn (2021), a sculpture by the Los Angeles-based artist Kelly Akashi made of sandstone and lost-wax cast bronze Photo: Molly Matalon
What was the most recent work you bought?
I bought a Keita Morimoto work from Almine Rech this past December at Art Basel Miami Beach. It was one of those works that I walked up to and immediately felt a connection to. I’m really happy to have done it.
How quickly do you decide to buy a work of art?
It can be in an instant, or it can be a slow-burn chase. Both ways I enjoy thoroughly. The instant buy reminds me that art does have that immediate attraction and pull to a person, and the slow burn allows me to enjoy the art of the chase—looking for the right piece by an artist and taking my time.
What do you regret not buying when you had the chance?
I am not someone who usually regrets things, as there will always be more art to buy, but if I had to pick one, maybe a Salman Toor, but it’s sort of a moot point as I didn’t know until he was already big!
If you could have any work from any museum in the world, what would it be?
Henri Matisse’s The Red Studio (1911) in the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The colour, the perspective, the inspiration it gave to artists I currently love. It’s a masterpiece to me!
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