Top 200 Collectors

Anita Blanchard, M.D., is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, and previously was a professor at UChicago Medicine but has since retired. She is a past vice president and board member of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Martin Nesbitt is a businessman who got his start in real estate and is the cofounder and co-CEO of the private equity firm The Vistria Group in 2013, with Kip Kirkpatrick.

In building their art collection, Blanchard and Nesbitt told ARTnews in an email interview that it is “centered on artists of African descent and their excellence acknowledging our rich history from origins in Africa and celebrating triumphs in Europe and the U.S.” The collection features of historical artists like Hughie Lee-Smith, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, and Richard Hunt alongside mid-career and emerging artists like Igshaan Adams, Jarvis Boyland, Amanda Williams, Mark Bradford, Hank Willis Thomas, Derrick Adams, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Rashid Johnson, and Glenn Ligon.

As longtime Chicagoans, however, Blanchard and Nesbitt said that they see an important thread of “friendship” running through their collection and have made sure to support the careers of local artists, like Dawoud Bey, Caroline Kent, Nate Young, Theaster Gates, Candida Alvarez, Amanda Williams, McArthur Binion, Nick Cave, and Kerry James Marshall (“You can never have enough work by Kerry James Marshall,” they said). In the near term, as they continue to grow their collection, they plan to support the work of artists from other backgrounds that have been historically disenfranchised, including Native American, Latinx, Asian, and Aboriginal artists. 

Additionally, Blanchard and Nesbitt have also made sure that their collection includes the work of artists based in Africa. They have made a point of traveling to where those artists are based, including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya. “Instead of just collecting art from foreign countries we try to visit those places, experience their traditions as an immersion into the culture,” they said. “This gives us a deeper appreciation for the work.”

The couple are close friends with former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, with Blanchard having delivered both Obama girls and Nesbitt having been known to play basketball with Barack. The couple have been also supporters of Obama’s political career—Nesbitt served as treasurer for both of Obama’s presidential campaigns. Nesbitt is currently the board chair of the Obama Foundation and the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center.