For centuries, art collection has often been treated as a secondary show of status, lending an air of legitimacy to the fortunes amassed by hard nosed business sense.
Top ten art collectors are more about a show of class and subtle power that has become a calling card amongst the rich and the powerful.
It's only that the kings of yester years, who took pride in possessing the rarest, have been replaced by the jet-setting tycoons, or top ten art collectors of today.
Their species of art collectors is as diverse and as idiosyncratic as the rulers of the bygones.
A scan of the top ten art collectors (by Forbes) reveals a motley collection.
In fact, it is also a study of the reason as to why the top ten art collectors are called the "top most.
" Paul Allen.
He is the famous co-founder of the Microsoft Corp.
Allen's passion for the collection of science fiction artifacts, memorabilia, and that of Cezanne, Manet, & their ilk with a few Rembrandts, ranks him as the top-most collector.
Eli Broad.
This real estate czar, and one of the top collectors, started his own foundation in 1984, loaning most of his 'works' to the institutions that display them.
Most of Eli's works include a considerable art collection of modernist and mid-17th century paintings.
Steven Cohen.
The iconic Hedge Fund Manager and Management Guru, Cohen is known in the world for his ardor towards the 'Signature Art.
' His most famous art collections are those of Manet and Monet.
Described as a 'lover of art,' one of the top art collectors, Steven buys art more for his pleasure than for speculative selling.
David Geffen.
This entertainment mogul's claims to riches are through Geffen Records and Broadway musical "Cats.
" David is a specialist in post-modernist artists like Pollack.
He almost exclusively collects modernist and breakaway artists and his collections have been called the "almost definitive guide to post-modernist art.
" Henry Kravis.
This corporate honcho has dealt with "brands" like Monet, Sargent, and Renoir.
His art collection of these artists ranks as one of the best and the choicest set of works.
Leonard and Ronald Lauder.
Rulers of the cosmetic empire, they have a virtual monopoly over cubist painters.
With the amount of money these top 10 art collectors earn, it's not surprising that they collect and deal mostly with neo-abstract painters, more specifically Austrian artists.
Samuel Irving.
A billionaire and one of the top ten art collectors, who is majorly into competitive bidding, Samuel has been almost suicidal in setting bidding records.
He has been credited with pulling the prize away from sharks like Gagosian.
Irving boasts of a major contemporary art collection.
Kenneth Thompson.
The top person in Canadian business circles, Thomson is known for his old masters art collection.
His Constables and Renoirs have given the famous museums a run for their money.
Steve Wynn.
The Bellagio owner (Las Vegas), Wynn's claim to fame is Picasso, whose "Boy with the Pipe" was a bidding coup that shook the industry.
Steve is also into contemporary art collection.