Collector, Palm Beach
George Merck is a Palm Beach-based art collector, philanthropist and venture capitalist. Initially interested in Arte Povera and the post-war movements, Merck is now drawn more towards Light and Space and West Coast Minimalist works. His collection ranges from ‘vapour drawings’ by Larry Bell to light fixtures by James Turrell, along with works by Donald Judd, Iván Navarro, Peter Alexander and Mary Corse. In 2017, at the age of 27, Merck became the youngest member on the board of trustees at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art and in 2022 he was elected as its most youthful board chair, having ‘been instrumental in increasing engagement with a younger generation of philanthropists.’ He is also a trustee at the Norton Museum of Art and is chair of the board of trustees at the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian.
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