What do Louis Vuitton, Armani, Dior and Fendi have in common, besides their cultivated luxury credentials? Peter Marino: the leather-clad architect and designer who has unquestionably become the king of high-end retail, and the go-to creative for numerous private clients.

This past December during Design Miami, Marino was the man of the moment as the recipient of the inaugural Design Visionary award, which acknowledged his achievements as both an architect and an ardent collector of art and design. 

Honoring his distinctive eye, Miami’s Bass Museum of Art hosted One Way: Peter Marino, an exhibition dedicated entirely to the designer’s ever-expanding collection, from early Andy Warhols (including works that Warhol gave to Marino when he was outfitting the pop artist’s Upper East Side townhouse in the 70s) to works by Anselm Kiefer, Richard Deacon, Richard Serra and Nate Lowman. 

During a rare quiet moment at Marino’s pavilion at Design Miami, which he was asked to curate as part of his award, filmmaker Clara Cullen caught up with the pioneering American to talk shop.

Natalia Rachlin is Design Editor-at-Large at NOWNESS.