LIVING WITH ART
Saatchi Art Collectors Take us Inside their Homes

Meet Sarah Chitsaz

A Real Estate Developer Who Uses Art to Express her Personality
For Saatchi Art collector Sarah Chitsaz, art is about more than just filling her home’s walls—it’s the primary outlet for her self-expression. Residing in Denver and working in real estate development, Sarah sees buying art as “a way to express my personality outwardly.” She came to art collecting relatively young while living in Charleston, South Carolina after college and exploring small local galleries in her free time. But when she discovered Saatchi Art serendipitously while browsing the internet several years ago, it was “love at first sight.” While she was immersed in the local art scene of Charleston, Saatchi Art enabled her to expand her horizons and discover artists from all around the world.

Now with so much art at her fingertips, Sarah has honed in on what makes an artwork compelling to her. “It’s that striking moment of, ‘This really resonates in my soul,’” she explains. “A work might remind me of something that made me feel safe or happy, or it can remind me of places I’ve been or experiences I’ve had. Some of it’s just whimsical.” All in all, these diverse inspirations have resulted in a wide-ranging collection. “My art is eclectic, but it also has an edge, which contrasts with my preferred furniture style which has really clean and modern lines.”

“It’s that striking moment of, ‘This really resonates in my soul.’”
Javiera Estrada
Put on a Happy Face
Dragomir Misina
Off the Wall 1
Sarah’s art collection compliments her furniture and space, but she doesn’t feel constrained by them—rather she buys artwork she loves and sometimes figures out what to do with it afterwards. “If I can’t stop thinking about an artwork, then I need to have it, and I don’t care if I have room for it,” she says with a laugh. And this has happened once or twice. “I did not pay attention to the dimensions, and it was five times larger than what I imagined,” she explains in reference to a favorite oversized work by photographer Javiera Estrada titled Put on a Happy Face. “It’s huge, but I love it. You cannot look at that and not smile.”
“My friend said, ‘When I walk into your house, I immediately know that you live here based on the way that you’ve decorated your home and the art on the walls.’ And I loved that.”
Theophilus Tetteh
Ready to Mingle
Noah Emhurt
London Ash
Having a beautiful, welcoming home full of art is important to Sarah—but more than that, she wants it to feel like her home. “I will never forget the day, I had a bunch of people over, and someone pulled me aside, and she gave me the best compliment I’ve ever received,” she explained. “My friend said, ‘When I walk into your house, I immediately know that you live here based on the way that you’ve decorated your home and the art on the walls.’ And I loved that.”
“If I can support somebody in a different country from my sofa, that feels amazing.”
June Kim
After Gauguin, The Spirit of the Dead Watching

For her, Saatchi Art’s sheer breadth of artwork and diversity of artists is what draws her to the online gallery. Sarah likened it to searching through an antique shop or browsing for a hidden treasure. “I like to find things that I think are unique and not everybody else has,” she explains. “At first it’s a little overwhelming just because the catalog of art is so comprehensive,” she explains. “You need to be patient… I use Saatchi Art to look at different types of work that are new to me, things that I have never seen before.”

She also loves that the artists are so global. “If I can support somebody in a different country from my sofa, that feels amazing. Plus, it’s seamless. Once you purchase a work, the communication process and delivery is superb.” Her collection ranges from Los Angeles-based artists to one living in Ghana.

Paxton Maroney
MOLLIFY
Working with an art advisor has also challenged her to buy art she never would have considered previously. Taking advantage of the complimentary art advisory program, Sarah partnered with one of Saatchi Art’s curators to help her find new artwork—and some of it was unexpected, in a good way. “To me, art is like fashion. If you put me in a store, I’m going to try on the things that I’m comfortable with, but I wanted to get out of my box and I didn’t have a ton of time to look at things.” Working with her personal advisor, Sarah ended up purchasing several works she’d have never picked on her own. What surprised her even more, was her love of them grew as she spent more time learning about the artists and the stories behind their works. She likens these stories to “little secrets” that she carries around and thinks about every time she looks at the artwork—seeing it anew each time.
“Find something that really resonates with you.”
Daria Bagrintseva
Honey Bunny
Andrew Weir
For Reasons Obvious 
Her advice for art lovers interested in buying their first original artwork? Don’t settle on just filling your walls, but find something you really love. “Set a budget and have fun! It shouldn’t be a chore—you’re operating on your own timeline. Find something that really resonates with you.” And when you’re still unsure of what you like, her best advice is to decide on what emotion you want the work to inspire and go from there. “When I am looking for a new artwork, I identify the emotion, and then I look to see what image gives me that emotion.” A true testament to the power of art.

Art Inspired by Sarah’s Collection

Like what you see? Our expert curators suggest works inspired by the art displayed in Sarah’s home.

GyoBeom An
Image-Face (Model)

Dragomir Misina
Take Care 7

Javiera Estrada
Union

Jonas Fisch
Medicine for the Atmos

Browse the Full Collection