Monday Muse

Interview: Mary Findlay, Senior Art Curator for Deutsche Bank

Interview

Mary Findlay

06 October 2025

Interview

Mary Findlay

06 October 2025

Mary Findlay is the Senior Art Curator at Deutsche Bank. She joined the art team at Deutsche Bank 29 years ago, and has been at the helm of developing the bank’s widely esteemed collection and art activities in the UK and US, where she is also responsible for acquisitions and partnerships. She manages all art projects and collaborations relating to the bank’s global partnership with Frieze Art Fair, which she initiated in 2003, including the artist installations in the Deutsche Bank Lounges globally, and developing community projects such as the ‘Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award’ and the ‘Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Curators Fellowship’. Additionally, Mary is on the Board of Trustees of the Paul Smith Foundation. In this exclusive interview with The Wick, Findlay shares insight about the collection, the place of art in the world today, and an inspiring recent trip to Lagos.

THE WICK: What does a typical Monday look like for you?

Mary Findlay: What I love about my job is that no one day is like the next. It would include giving a client art tour of the collection at the bank, meetings with Frieze about the next upcoming Fair, looking at potential acquisitions or collaborations, formulating staff art engagement programme activities, attending panel discussions or talks and tours at art institutions and galleries and lunch with my wonderful team!

TW: How did your curatorial journey begin, and what first drew you to your role at Deutsche Bank?

MF: I have been at Deutsche Bank, in the Art Team, for 29 years, and so I have learnt on the job and my working life has been focused on developing the collection, starting in an administrative role through to my current role as Senior Curator for the UK, US & Frieze Fairs. When I joined in 1996 as well as a History of Art degree, I had worked at a couple of large corporates (Goldmans Sachs & McKinsey) and wanted to combine my knowledge of the two worlds and landed my dream job in a contemporary collection that was growing and developing.

TW: Deutsche Bank has supported Frieze for over 20 years. How has that partnership shaped your approach to discovering and backing emerging artists?

MF: The Bank’s support of Frieze is a perfect synergy because we are passionate about developing and supporting emerging artists, and so are they. Together, we push boundaries and develop new ideas such as the Deutsche Bank x Frieze Emerging Curators Fellowship, which is now in its 5th year. Although the bank’s collecting concept has not changed, for 45 years the bank has focused on works on paper and photography by cutting-edge artists – we regularly purchase works at the fairs and as a result have learnt about many artists we may not otherwise have found.

TW: You’ve helped build one of the most respected corporate art collections in the world. What guides your acquisition choices today?

MF: As well as supporting emerging artists, the intention of the collection is to bring creativity into our offices and create conversation with our clients, staff and guests. This means that we often focus on works that engage with societal topics and the world around us.

“In a world where we are all too plugged into our devices, it creates in-person conversations and sparks engagement and new ideas. In our offices, it brings the heart into the building and makes it an energetic and engaging place to work.”

The Wick Culture - Interview: Mary Findlay, Senior Art Curator for Deutsche Bank

TW: The collection includes major artists like Keith Tyson, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Wolfgang Tillmans and Tony Cragg. Why do you think it’s important to place these works in corporate environments?

MF: These are works that we bought for the collection when the artists were less well-known. We are proud of our collecting history, and we like to showcase these works alongside current emerging artists such as Quinlan & Hastings, Tom Pope and Rene Matić, creating conversations between them.

TW: The move of Deutsche Bank’s collection and offices to the vast 21 Moorfields created a completely new spatial context with thousands more square feet and more space to build and showcase art within. What freedoms did this allow you in re-envisioning the collection or innovating in the ways you display it?

MF: It is a wonderful space. We were particularly lucky with our architects, who we collaborated with, to provide spaces and lighting that has enhanced the art and made the building come to live. Moving to a new space allows any curator the chance to rethink how a collection is installed and to focus on artists who may have not been on prominent display before. As well as the wall-based commissions for our working floors by Rene Matić, Claire Hooper and Simeon Barclay, we still name our client conference and dining rooms after artists but updated from our previous space. It is also space that provides better access for clients, staff and the public to view our collection through events and tours.

TW: Through initiatives like Project Nexus in Nigeria with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation, you’ve supported artists globally. What does meaningful cross-cultural engagement look like to you as a curator?

MF: Deutsche Bank has a presence in Nigeria and are keen to support the local community, and we also have a good relationship with Yinka – we have works in the Collection by him and collaborated on Lounges at Frieze London in 2023. So, it was a perfect synergy, and the Foundation developed a bespoke programme for our support that is truly making a difference on the ground, that is the most meaningful cross-cultural engagement.

We are supporting the Foundation with their residency and education programme that nurtures the next generation of artists, curators and the local community. Another example would be the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award, which supports emerging filmmakers in LA. We work with Frieze and Ghetto Film School to develop the chosen shortlisted film-makers with a mentor programme and funds to make a film, which they are then judged on. The mentorship part of this programme is vital, and the filmmakers often tell us the difference this makes to their careers to have industry specialists helping them.

TW: As well as the new wall-based commissions with them, René Matić was part of the lounge programme at Frieze London last year, bringing work that unpacks identity, diaspora, and everyday life. How does their presence shape the cultural dialogue you want this space to foster?

MF: As well as the other points you mention, René’s work is focused on accepting people for their differences – about thinking of others, care and support – important qualities, especially when you work with people from different backgrounds, in an office environment, every day. This was an important point for us when commissioning René for the new building and the exhibition we did together at Frieze last year.

TW: Who are you showcasing in the Deutsche Bank Lounges at Frieze London & Masters this year?

MF: We’re showcasing French artist, Noémie Goudal. There will be new, site-specific installations alongside previous works from her career and pieces that are being shown in the UK for the first time. We love the way Noémie engages with the environment and deep time. She deconstructs the flat surface of the works in a unique way that subtly conjures an uncertainty in what you’re looking at. Like every artist of substance, her work encourages you to question what you are looking at.

TW: What role do you think art plays in the workplace today, especially in high-pressure spaces like finance?

MF: In a world where we are all too plugged into our devices, it creates in-person conversations and sparks engagement and new ideas. In our offices, it brings the heart into the building and makes it an energetic and engaging place to work. Additionally, our staff art engagement programme, with events taking place once or twice a month, is one of the most popular employee engagement programmes we have at the bank. Each artwork tells a story, not just about the artist and their work, but more widely about society. This starts conversations other than the usual ones in a financial workplace and hopefully allows people to relax and enjoy their surroundings.

TW: Do you have a go-to designer or someone whose work you return to during fairs, openings, or curatorial moments?

MF: Of course, it has to be Sir Paul Smith, I am a trustee of the Paul Smith Foundation. The clothes are beautiful and wonderful to wear. The foundation’s brilliant Director is Martha Mosse, a previous Monday Muse. It supports early career creatives working in fashion, visual arts and design. Through in-depth and bespoke business mentoring, the Foundation equips creatives with the insight, tools and network they need to succeed. We are in the early days and growing, but it’s an area I feel passionate about and pleased to be able to help its development.

TW: What’s the last exhibition, book, or film that shifted your perspective or sparked something new?

MF: I went to Lagos last year with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation to see the impact they are making there with the artist residences at the Ecology Green Farm in Ikişę and the townhouse in Lagos. The whole trip was inspirational. It shifted my global perspective, and seeing Yinka’s exhibition at the British Consulate, several artist studio visits and gallery visits, as well as the energy of Art X Lagos Fair, was exciting. There are so many wonderful artists in West Africa that need help to be understood on the global stage, and galleries like Tiwani Contemporary in Lagos, and Gallery 1957 in Accra, as well as the opening of institutions like MOWAA, are doing a huge amount to make this happen, and it is inspiring in a challenging environment.

TW: Who is your ultimate Monday Muse?

MF: Eva Langret, Frieze Director EMEA. I love working with her; she’s an inspiration, and her knowledge, insight, and respectful curation have added significantly to the offering and engagement at Frieze London, from changing the layout of the fair to the curated sections, which have developed enormously under her stewardship (e.g. Artist to Artist). We have worked together for over 5 years on developing the Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Curators Fellowship, which came out of the pandemic, and supports Black and Global Majority Heritage curators in the UK into a role in a key arts institution. We are so proud to have been super successful with over half of the placements being hired into full-time roles as a result.