Interview: Ettore Molinario

What led you to collect photography?

“My interest in collecting photography began quite spontaneously. At first I bought photographs for personal pleasure and desire to possess without a clear strategy.
My choices were intuitive and guided by what genuinely attracted me.

Over time I realized that the images I was identifying with were becoming a kind of mirror of myself. Each work reflected aspects of my identity and personality, my evolving aesthetic taste, and my way of interpreting the changes in society.

A decisive moment came when I encountered a photograph by Joel-Peter Witkin (Man with dog, 1990) that deeply struck me. That experience pushed me to reflect more deeply on the meaning of my acquisitions and gradually led me to focus much of my research on themes related to identity.

More generally, I believe collecting is a very personal process: a collection should grow naturally and ultimately reflect the personality and life evolution of the collector.”

Pierre-Louis Pierson, Scherzo di Follia (The Countess of Castiglione), 1863 ca. – Courtesy of James Hyman Gallery & Ettore Molinario Collection

Peter Hujar, Ethyl Eichelberger as Auntie Belle Emme, 1979 – Courtesy of Mai 36 Galerie, The Peter Hujar Archive  & Ettore Molinario Collection

What type of photography do you collect and are there recurring themes in your collection?

“My collection explores the multifaceted concept of identity through different but interconnected perspectives. One recurring theme is the tension between life and death, or Eros and Thanatos, reflecting the fragile balance between creation and self-destruction in the formation of the self. Another is Neutral Identity, a condition of suspension and fluidity beyond rigid categories. The collection also investigates Fetishism, where desire and identity are projected onto objects or images, as well as Melancholy, understood as an introspective sense of absence or loss that shapes self-perception. Finally, the idea of the Uncanny appears in images that are both familiar and disturbing, revealing hidden aspects of identity.

All these themes emerge in photographs dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, embracing a wide range of techniques and cultural contexts, and including works by internationally recognised artists as well as lesser-known authors and anonymous photographers.”

Could you tell us about a particular work in your collection?

“One of the most meaningful works in my collection is Autoportrait au chat by Claude Cahun, taken in 1927. A masterpiece in photography, it explores gender duality.

The cat, a recurring figure in Cahun’s work, symbolizes the threshold between two worlds - the visible and the invisible - embodying a sense of perpetual duality.

I first saw this photograph shortly before it appeared at Sotheby’s in Paris. Despite its very small size, the image immediately struck me with an extraordinary intensity, radiating a magnetic, almost uncanny power.

What made it even more fascinating was its provenance. The photograph came from the Foujita-Desnos collection and was most likely given by Cahun to the surrealist poet Robert Desnos, a close friend of hers, who later passed it on to his lover.

When the lot appeared at auction, I had the feeling that the image had not yet fully revealed its importance to the room. Trusting my instinct, I pursued it and eventually secured the photograph - a rare moment when a collector recognizes an image’s power ahead of the market.”