_Art collector Christian Levett on how to buy art and designing his Courchevel chalet

^{Above: Christian Levett}

What drew you to collecting?

Growing up, I was always interested in history and used to collect inexpensive Victorian coins. Later in life, in the early 2000s, I built a collection of ancient armour – a large part of which had belonged to the late Axel Guttmann [a passionate collector of Medieval arms and armoury who had his own private museum in Berlin] and was going to be liquidated. I bought so many antiquities

I ended up opening my own museum in France (Musee D’Art Classique de Mougins).

What is it about collecting antiquities that you really like?

Firstly, I think it’s amazing to be able to own something that conjures up a feeling of the history of the object: where it has been, what it has seen, what it has done, who was around it and who touched it. Each object is a mini time machine. The second is to marvel at the artistry; the ability of the ancient world to produce incredible bronzes, glass, jewellery, and marble sculpture.

When did you move from antiquities to collecting art?

Throughout my 20s and 30s I got into collecting Old Masters and then Impressionist drawings and post-Impressionist work. These days I mostly collect late 20th-century pieces, anything from the 1950s through to today.

What was the first piece of art you bought?

The first piece of serious art I ever bought was in 1995 when I was 25. It was an early 17th-century painting of a fire in Delft by a Dutch artist called Egbert van der Poel. I bought it in Paris and when I saw it I thought, ‘I have to have it’. I paid 100,000 French francs for it, which today, is the equivalent of £10,000. I went off it after a while though, and gave it to my nephew as a birthday present.

Who are the artists you like at the moment?

I’ve been collecting a lot of the female artists of the late 20th century, looking at Bridget Riley, Louise Bourgeois, Joan Mitchell and Cecily Brown. It’s a well-trodden path but compared to male artists, a lot less have been successful and yet a number of them are really fantastic. It’s an interesting, rarer and, I think, largely undervalued area of collecting.

What is your favourite piece of artwork that you own?

A life-size painted wooden bust of a little Florentine Renaissance boy. It’s dated around 1480 and is full of woodworm, but it’s such a beautiful piece of carving. The boy wears a blue tunic with a gilded collar and a little red cap. I bought it at Christie’s 13 years ago for about £20,000 and it’s probably not worth much more today. I have no idea who made it, but I do know it came out of a workshop in Florence.

^{Above: Chalet Edelweiss in Courchevel}

What led you to let Chalet Edelweiss, Courchevel?

I bought an old chalet that was on the land there in 2010, pulled it down and got planning permission to build Edelweiss. It took two years and was finished in September 2012. I’d already built Chalet Gentianes next door and owned Chalet Razzie further up the Bellecôte slopes, but Edelweiss is the most famous because it’s 3,200 square metres and one of the biggest chalets in the Alps.

How did you decide on the design?

I had an idea and worked alongside the architect. It’s basically the same as Chalet Gentianes next door, only Gentianes is a quarter of the size and doesn’t have nightclubs, Xbox rooms and car washes. It’s a bit like being in your own mini hotel.

There are eight bedroom suites and there’s accommodation for 13 staff, which is separate to the rest of the chalet so you don’t even know they’re there. Despite its size, it’s cosy and warmly decorated – there are artworks on display by Marc Quinn, Gilbert & George, Marcus Harvey, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, and some Picasso etchings too.

There’s also a six-foot-high bronze statue of Aphrodite and Vénus à la Girafe by Salvador Dali. A lot of the furniture and fabrics were chosen from the Maison & Objet show in Paris – the best interiors exhibition I’ve ever been to. You can furnish just about anything after you’ve spent a few days there.

What do you always take with you when you travel?

My kids.

What would be your desert island disc?

Morning Dew by Nora En Pure. It’s a mellow song you can listen to at any time and it’s inspirational.

What book can you read over and over again?

Julius Caesar’s The conquest of Gaul. I’ve probably read it four times. You learn what went on before battle and how he managed different situations. It’s interesting to hear the words from the horse’s mouth.

Do you have a favourite restaurant? What is your favourite dish and drink?

I have two restaurants in Mougins – La Place des Mougins and L’Amandier de Mougins. My favourite dish is the langoustine carpaccio starter at La Place des Mougins.

Nothing beats the view from the terrace at L’Amandier de Mougins – it’s my favourite view. I like to drink espresso martinis in Le Bâoli in Cannes.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

There’s an old saying in collecting: buy the best thing you can buy, for the money you can afford. Other good advice is, when you see something you like, go away, think about it and then come back. Don’t buy impetuously.