A Conversation with David Graver
The editor-in-chief of Surface Magazine, David Graver reports on compelling developments in art, design, travel, and haute horology. A longtime contributor to Vogue.com and Bloomberg Pursuits, David spent more than a decade with the digital design publication Cool Hunting, where he authored and edited thousands of stories. His byline has appeared in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, GQ, and Vanity Fair, and he penned a print column on design for Elle. As a new member of our Honorary Committee, David joined us for a rapid-fire round of questions on the biggest changes he's seen in the collectible design world, artists who deserve more attention, and more.
Salon Art + Design is celebrating its 15th anniversary. What do you think has been the key to the fair's lasting success?
The breadth and depth of what’s on display in each edition. It always manages to surprise and delight. There is often this nuanced dialogue between installations and presentations that lets attendees travel through color and form, space and time.
What's the biggest change you've seen in the collectible design world over the past 15 years? And what gives you the most optimism for its future?
Expanding interest! Every year, more people outside of my design editorial world tell me they’re beginning to pay attention to collectible design. This aligns with the continued strength of Design Dispatch, Surface’s daily newsletter.
If you could bring home one museum-quality work of art or design, what would it be—and why?
I often joke about buying a Rothko (because I cried the first time I went to the Rothko room at Tate Modern in 2005). Perhaps what I’ve always wanted, though, being raised in Litchfield County, is a Calder mobile. Or, let’s be honest, the Calder Circus at the Whitney. I just don’t know where I’d place it.
Whose work has had the greatest influence on your eye as a collector?
My friend, the painter David King Reuben. I have known him for nearly 20 years, and I’ve seen his style develop and advance. There have been periods I’ve obsessed over and others I’ve coveted less. And that’s been beneficial to me as a collector of many things!
I’d also say the curatorial eyes of my husband, Alexandre Corda, and friend Isiah Magsino. In observing their paths as collectors, I’ve felt more considerate in my own.
What's one object you've lived with—or encountered—that continues to reveal something new every time you see it?
I had the great privilege of living alongside a Lichtenstein explosion sculpture for a while. Every time I looked at it I experienced something new. The work somehow complemented every emotional state I brought into the room where it was displayed.
What's one piece of advice you'd give someone buying their first significant work of art or design?
Love it. Show it off. And be prepared for others to have mixed or complicated feelings.
What's one myth about collecting that you'd love to debunk?
That a new object needs to align with everything else you’ve collected. You are the perspective. You are the lens. That’s enough.
What do you hope Salon Art + Design is known for 15 years from now?
I hope that it remains a space for collectors and the design curious to gather and exchange ideas and inspiration! I love the familial feel of each edition, the way this world reconvenes to experience Salon together.
What's currently capturing your attention—whether it's a project, a collection, or a new area of interest?
La Méridienne by French designer Edgar Jayet, which pays homage to Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann.
Lee Broom’s "The Chant Chambers" installation at London Design Week 2026!
And, of course, APPARATUS Studio’s new collection, ACT V: AFSANEH.
What's the best exhibition you've seen recently—or one you're especially looking forward to this fall?
Asher Liftin’s Recent Work at Pace Gallery’s 125 Newbury Gallery location is the best exhibition I’ve seen this year. Liftin’s nuanced portraits and still life paintings mesmerize. Beneath each is an ornate process that nods to pointillism but remains his own.
What's one object you wish you'd bought when you had the chance?
A painting by Nina Chanel Abney in 2017. It’s an absolute travesty that I did not.
What's one artist or designer you think deserves much more attention right now?
Gabriel Charbit. I’m enamored with his 432 Cocktail Table in the glacier colorway, which Todd Merrill Studio introduced last year.
And artist Maria Kozak’s figurative paintings recently exhibited at Fabienne Levy in Zurich!
