Just in time to help alleviate some of this week’s champagne hangovers, the Miami Beach-based collectors Maky and Kris Hinson are launching an organic health-food and apparel brand called Workout. Besides wellness, the couple is growing an art collection encompassing blue-chip and emerging artists, from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Kathleen Ryan. During Miami Art Week, they are opening the doors of their home to mark the launch of Au Départ’s Art Collective, an initiative by the French luxury leather-goods brand to support contemporary artists through museum acquisitions and institutional partnerships.
The first recipient is the French artist David Douard, whose sculpture, Canary feel it (2022), will this month enter the collection of Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, where the couple are trustees. Maky, who was born and raised in Colombia, tells us about her love for Japan’s art and food, and her favourite Miami spots for kicking back.
The Art Newspaper: What was the first work you ever bought?
Maky Hinson: Kris was raised in Florida, and so one of his inspirations has always been Robert Rauschenberg. I don’t know if it was the first work we bought, but the Glut in our collection has an important place and was really influential for us.
What was the most recent work you bought?
On a very recent trip to Japan, we were fortunate to add to our collection of Yoshitomo Nara with two new major works. Our collection has an emphasis on psychological forces and on gender, so Nara is a favourite of ours for many years. And naturally, we love visiting Japan and learning about the art there.
What do you regret not buying when you had the chance?
A Bacchus painting by Cy Twombly. The work appeared early in our time collecting, and we moved too slowly. We still think about it today!
If you could have any work from any museum in the world, what would it be?
That’s easy: the masterpiece Las Meninas (1656) by Diego Velázquez, in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
Where do you like to eat and drink in Miami?
We are fortunate that one of our favourite chefs, Shuji Hiyakawa, is Miami-based, so we have the opportunity to enjoy his cooking often! We are working with him on the menu for Workout and infusing the influence of Japanese cooking.
What’s your least favourite thing about art fairs?
We love how Art Basel brings so many of our friends from different parts of the world to Miami for the fair. But that means the traffic is insane. For that reason, we love hosting events during the week, so that our friends can come to us. We are trustees at ICA Miami, and this year we are helping them to celebrate all of their new exhibitions—Keiichi Tanaami, Lucy Bull and more—and a gift of work to the museum by David Douard thanks to Au Départ.
Where do you go to relax and unwind in Miami?
The beach!
What tip would you give to someone visiting Miami for the first time?
Walk around Wynwood and the Miami Design District, two incredible and energetic neighbourhoods. If you have kids, take them to the Central Rock Gym in Wynwood. Visit ICA Miami—check out the sculpture garden—and the Rubell Museum. Or go to the Everglades and ride the airboats!