We See You: Marlies Verhoeven

Why we’re watching her: Belgian-born Verhoeven is the CEO and cofounder of The Cultivist, “The world’s only global arts club.” She and her VC husband, Jacco Reijtenbagh, are also leading collectors and epic party-givers.

Cult leader: According to 1st Dibs, The Cultivist organizes “exclusive events and customized travel experiences for members.” Verhoeven told the outlet that members include “chairs of museum boards, industry titans, and famous fashion designers.” Not a bad group to go on private museum tours and studio visits with.

Pedigree: After a brief stint in the Belgium diplomatic core, Verhoeven worked at Sotheby’s for eight years, topping out as Global Director of Loyalty Marketing, before founding The Cultivist in 2015. Art collecting is in the blood. Verhoeven told the New York Times, “My parents were mostly buying early Impressionists,” but her focus is on living artists. “We’re definitely more into female artists—and we have been for a while, even before #MeToo. It connects to my experience, having been at Sotheby’s and always wondering: ‘Why does the room have so few female artists?’” 

Home is where the art is: Verhoeven and Reijtenbagh live with their three young children in an 1890s, four-story townhouse in Manhattan’s West Village. According to 1stDibs, the couple “fell in love with the combination of a traditional exterior with a contemporary interior, which features a glass-walled, double-height space at the back.” Verhoeven told Architectural Digest that “even in the middle of winter my husband goes out there to barbecue.” While the kids may love playing in the backyard, the art-strewn living room is strictly adults-only.

Free advice: “You should never collect for value, because it never actually works out in the end,” Verhoeven told the New York Times. “You should collect because you want to live with it forever.”

Party spirit animal: The cardinal—brilliant and bold.

Prediction: While most cults fade to black eventually, we predict The Cultist will continue to throw some of the best art world parties for many biennials to come.