Business titans frequently find satisfaction as avid collectors—in ways beyond amassing stock options. Leonard Lauder, retired CEO of Estée Lauder, gathered one of the world's great assemblages of Cubist paintings that he donated to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Former Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer relishes festooning her gardens with avant-garde sculptures by the likes of Jeff Koons, while Howard Schultz, builder of Starbucks, gets a kick from adding to his display case of rare, vintage Rolex watches.
These tycoons typically deploy in their artistic acquiring the same steely precision that steers their business ventures, marshaling networks of dealers, scholars and advisers to unearth the best properties at the right prices. By contrast, Marc Rowan meandered into his unorthodox version of the collecting game—acquiring, remodeling and curating restaurants on Long Island's East End—via a random route that bears no resemblance to his intricate strategic thinking that built an insurance empire at Apollo Global Management, where he serves as CEO. "Usually, I'm not a collector of anything," Rowan told me during a long interview in white-marble cafeteria at Apollo's Manhattan headquarters. "I got into the restaurant business by accident. It all started because I like to build things. I've renovated many buildings over time. I know many people don't see it that way, but I find it peaceful."
