Ismael is an avid art collector and writes an online blog called Art and Law on the website of the magazine Nexos. His blog explores how legal issues can be reflected in a work of art and how art can have a legal capacity to change society.

He says: “My love for art is a pleasure I acquired as a child, thanks to my father. Being a collector himself, he instilled in me a love of art. He encouraged me to go to museums and exhibitions and talked to me about it whenever he could.

“His collection included art from the late 19th and early 20th century, but he did have (as the only exception) two pieces by Mexican artist Fernando García Ponce from the 1980s and the first work of art I bought was a piece by the same artist.

“Every day I become more involved in the art world. It’s a way of life.”

“I like García Ponce’s work not only because of the geometrical composition of his works, but also because he was one of the main representatives of the ‘Ruptura’ (rupture) movement in Mexican art. Having one of his works links my father’s collection to mine.”

Ismael continued to buy art, but only realized he was a collector when his wife, Karla, asked him why he kept buying paintings when there was no longer space to hang them in the house.

“My answer was that I was a collector,” says Ismael, “but it was that question that made it official.”

Over the past 25 years, Ismael’s collection has grown to more than 100 works by around 70 artists.

He mainly collects contemporary art with a focus on Mexican artists, but he also has works by artists from the United States, France, Argentina, Spain, Cuba, Greece, Uruguay, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland.

“I started collecting paintings and haven’t stopped since,” he says. “Every day I become more involved in the art world. It´s a way of life.

“Over time, I started buying sculpture, then photography and graphic work and, finally, video and installations.”

Ismael’s love of art is also appreciated by his colleagues, with 25 paintings from his collection currently hanging in the office in Mexico City, where he has been based for the past 12 years after working in the Mexican government for more than 25 years.

He says: “My love of art goes far deeper than the works themselves. A very important thing for me is to have contact with the artists, to know what inspires them and the story behind their works.

“For me, art is much more than a painting in a museum, gallery or private house, it is everything within the artistic process.”

Ismael has immersed himself in the art world, building close friendships with almost all the artists whose work he collects and with gallery owners, museum directors and curators, among others.

In August, he will begin teaching Art and Law as part of the Master of Contemporary Art, Market and Business program sponsored by Sotheby’s at Centro University in Mexico City.

The overlap between Ismael’s passions for law, art and culture is also reflected in the Mexico office’s pro bono work, which includes offering legal help to the Macay Museum, University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC), art magazine Terremoto and the Aeromoto library.

Ismael explains: “One example was when the director of MUAC called me asking for help. She was extremely worried because there was uproar ahead of an exhibition by New York conceptual artist Jill Magid.

“For me, art is much more than a painting in a museum, gallery or private house, it is everything within the artistic process.”

“The main piece of the exhibit was an engagement ring with a diamond made from the ashes of Mexican architect Luis Barragán and the negative publicity meant she was under pressure to cancel the exhibition.

“We provided advice on the legality of the work and the exhibition, wrote an essay and participated in a discussion group on the opening day that was broadcast on TV, radio and the internet.

“In gratitude, the museum organized two guided tours (one featuring the artist herself) and a cocktail party for White & Case lawyers.”

Ismael is also a patron, among other institutions, of the Tamayo Museum Board of Trustees and of the Contemporary Art Board of Trustees, as well as a member of the SOMA Council, an institution that has initiated a master’s degree for artists.

He says: “As a patron, one of the main functions is to help the museum obtain funds, so it can carry on its activities, but also to put artists in contact with museums and curators, to promote the publication of books and to encourage discussion forums, among others.”

When asked to pick a favorite work of art from his collection, Ismael replies: “The last one, it’s always the last one. It’s a childish illusion that I will always have.”

Ismael explains that it is also an ongoing passion of his to pass on a love of art to his children.

He says: “I’d like to do for them what my father did for me – to instill a love of art that they can continue down the generations.”