Art Collector $6m USD
Since the conclusion of the 2014 congressional elections, Norman Braman, the American art collector, auto dealership magnate and former Philadelphia Eagles owner with a $1.6bn net worth, has donated over $6m to help Conservative Solutions raise $15.8m of funding for the 2016 US Presidential Campaign of Marco Rubio, according to the Centre for Responsive Politics.

LUCIANVENUSIAN/FLICKR

The art world has never shied away from politics, and this particularly absurd campaign season is no exception. Below is a list that looks at the financial contributions that people at the high end of the art market are making toward the current U.S. presidential campaign.

The list is not comprehensive, but it is a representative sample of the people in power on the commercial side of the art world. We compiled it by looking at the exhibitor list for the most recent edition of the Art Basel fair in Miami Beach—the fair with the highest concentration of blue-chip galleries in the United States—and our own Top 200 Collectors list from 2015. In addition to direct contributions to a presidential candidate’s campaign, donations to the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee are included here, as well as funds provided to political action committees created specifically to back a single presidential candidate. (PACs that are not directly linked to a presidential candidate were not included, and for the purpose of this list, we do not consider Paul Ryan a presidential candidate.) Only donations made since the conclusion of the 2014 congressional elections have been included.

The few dealers represented here are, more or less, the cream of the crop in American art dealing, and somewhat predictably, much of their money went to the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Two exceptions are Larry Gagosian and Per Skarstedt, both of whom donated $2,700 to Chris Christie’s presidential campaign.

The collectors lean far less to the left, by comparison. Alexandra and Steven A. Cohen gave $6 million to the Christie Super PAC America Leads. Ronald Perelman gave $600,000 to Security Is Strength, a Super PAC backing Lindsey Graham, who dropped out of the presidential race in December. Perelman also donated $500,000 to Jeb Bush, through a separate PAC called Right to Rise. Daniel S. Loeb, whose Third Point LLC hedge fund is a major investor in Sotheby’s, gave $5,000 to Right to Rise, as well as $150,000 to the RNC. Casino magnate Stephen Wynn donated to both Ted Cruz and, through the America Leads PAC, Christie. Wynn was also the only donor on the list to give money to Carly Fiorina’s Super PAC, Carly for America. Another rarity: San Francisco–based collectors Nora and Norman Stone are the lone Bernie Sanders supporters on this list, having together given the maximum donation of $5,400 to his primary campaign. These numbers all come from a public database maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions. What follows is by no means definitive and will change in the future as more donations are made and refunds are processed.

COLLECTORS

William Bell Jr.

$5,400 to Hillary Clinton

Leon Black

$100,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC that supported Jeb Bush

Neil G. Bluhm

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Norman Braman

$6 million to Conservative Solutions, a Super PAC that supported Marco Rubio

$400 to Marco Rubio

Peter Brant (Disclosure: Peter Brant is the majority shareholder in the parent company of ARTnews)

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Eli Broad

$5,400 to Hillary Clinton

Edythe Broad

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Donald Bryant Jr.

$100,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC that supported Jeb Bush

Paul Cejas

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton and $33,400 to the DNC

Trudy Cejas

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Alexandra Cohen

$3 million to America Leads, a Super PAC that supported Chris Christie

Steven A. Cohen

$3 million to America Leads, a Super PAC that supported Chris Christie

Beth Rudin Dewoody

$33,400 to the DNC

Glenn Dubin

$5,400 to Hillary Clinton

$5,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC that supported Jeb Bush

Lawrence J. Ellison

$4 million to Conservative Solutions, a Super PAC that supported Marco Rubio

$5,400 to Marco Rubio

Katherine G. Farley

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Frank Fertitta III

$62,500 to the RNC

$5,000 to Leadership Matters for America, a Super PAC that supported Chris Christie

Lorenzo Fertitta

$62,500 to the RNC

$5,000 to Leadership Matters for America, a Super PAC that supported Chris Christie

David Geffen

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

$2,700 to Bernie Sanders

Kenneth C. Griffin

$925,000 to the RNC

$2.6 million to Conservative Solutions, a Super PAC that supported Marco Rubio

Agnes Gund

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton



Nathalie de Gunzburg

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Bruce Halle

$2,000 to Draft Ted Cruz for President

Janine Hill

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

J. Tomilson Hill

$2,700 to Jeb Bush



Marguerite Hoffman

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Jeanne Klein

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Henry Kravis

$334,000 to the RNC

Jon Landau

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Barbara Lee

$1,407,904 to Priorities USA Action, a Super PAC formed to support Obama that is now supporting Hillary Clinton

$33,400 to the DNC

$62,000 to Correct the Record, a Super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton

$165,920 to American Bridge, a Super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton

$189,000 to Ready PAC, a Super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton

$5,400 to Hillary Clinton

Eric Lefkofsky

$2,700 to Chris Christie

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Jo Carole

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Leonard A. Lauder

$100,000 to We the People, Not Washington, a Super PAC supporting George Pataki

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Daniel S. Loeb

$5,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC that supported Jeb Bush

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

$150,000 to the RNC

Daniel Och

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

Raymond J. McGuire

$20,000 to the DNC



Marsha Perelman

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Ronald O. Perelman

$600,000 to Security Is Strength, a Super PAC that supported Lindsey Graham

$500,000 to Rise to Rise, a Super PAC that supported Jeb Bush

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

$2,700 to Lindsey Graham

Lisa Perry

$5,400 to Hillary Clinton

Richard Perry

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

John Pritzker

$5,400 to Hillary Clinton

Lisa Pritzker

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Hilary Ross

$90,400 to the RNC

Wilbur L. Ross

$140,800 RNC

$5,000 Reclaim America, a Super PAC supporting Marco Rubio

$300 Rubio

Mera Rubell

$2,700 Hillary Clinton

Roger Sant

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Fayez Sarofim

$500,000 Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC supporting Jeb Bush

Chara Schreyer

$5,400 Hillary Clinton

Charles Schwab

$200,400 to the RNC

Helen Schwab

$1.5 million to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC supporting Jeb Bush

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

Alan Schwartz

$30,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC supporting Jeb Bush

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

Elizabeth Singer

$1,000 to Hillary Clinton

Eric Smidt

$33,400 to the DNC

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Jerry Speyer

$2,700 to Lindsey Graham

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

$100,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC supporting Jeb Bush

$32,400 to the RNC

Judy Steinhardt

$5,600 to Lindsey Graham

$1,000 to Hillary Clinton

Michael Steinhardt

$10,800 to Marco Rubio

$2,700 to Chris Christie

$10,900 to Lindsey Graham

Norah Stone

$2,700 to Bernie Sanders

Norman Stone

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

$2,700 to Bernie Sanders

Daniel S. Sundheim

$25,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC supporting Jeb Bush

Jane Toll

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Robert Toll

$5,400 to Hillary Clinton

Bruce E. Toll

$65,800 to the RNC

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

$2,700 to Marco Rubio

Alice Walton

$200 to the DNC

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Abigail Wexner

$2,700 to John Kasich

$250,000 to New Day for America, a Super PAC supporting John Kasich

Leslie Wexner

$64,000 to the RNC

$2,700 to Jeb Bush

$505,000 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC supporting Jeb Bush

Elaine Wynn

$16,568 to Right to Rise USA, a Super PAC supporting Jeb Bush

Stephen A. Wynn

$5,400 to Ted Cruz

$2,700 to Chris Christie

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

$25,000 to Carly for America, a Super PAC supporting Carly Fiorina

$25,000 to America Leads, a Super PAC supporting Chris Christie

$5,000 to Leadership Matters for America, a Super PAC supporting Chris Christie

$50,000 to RNC

DEALERS

Paula Cooper

$4,400 to EMILY’s list, a Super PAC that supports Hillary Clinton

Larry Gagosian

$2,700 to Chris Christie

Marc Glimcher

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Marian Goodman

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Garth Greenan

$966 to Hillary Clinton

Hannah Hoffman

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Karen Jenkins-Johnson

$2,902 to Hillary Clinton

Adam Lindemann

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Matthew Marks

$2,000 to Hillary Clinton

Shaun Caley Regen

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton

Andrea Rosen

$1,000 to Hillary Clinton



Per Skarstedt

$2,700 to Chris Christie

Cristin Tierney

$2,700 to Hillary Clinton