After years of acceleration, the art market is finally taking a breath. What once felt like a constant race, fueled by auctions, art fairs, and an endless stream of digital visibility, is beginning to slow. For some, this shift may feel unsettling. In reality, it signals something far more important, a return to discipline.
Across spring 2026, one theme is becoming increasingly clear. Collectors are moving away from reactive buying and toward more deliberate, informed decision-making. This is not a loss of energy or interest. It is a sign that the market is maturing. As highlighted in the Art Basel & UBS Global Art Market Report 2026, the global market has entered a phase of recalibration, with modest growth but a more measured and disciplined pace.
The End of Hype-Driven Buying in the Art Market
For much of the past decade, speed defined the art world. Works sold quickly, prices moved even faster, and the pressure to act often without hesitation became part of the culture. Visibility played an outsized role in shaping perception. If an artist appeared everywhere, from fairs to social feeds, it was easy to assume they mattered.
But visibility is not the same as value. That distinction, long understood by experienced collectors, is now becoming more widely recognized. The hype cycle that once drove momentum is beginning to lose its influence, replaced by a quieter, more measured approach.
How the Post-Boom Correction Is Reshaping the Art World
This shift is not happening in isolation. The broader economic environment matters. Across industries, from tech to real estate to collectibles, we are seeing the effects of a post-boom correction. Speculation is giving way to scrutiny. Buyers are becoming more cautious, more analytical, and more aware of risk.
The art market, often treated as its own ecosystem, is not immune to these forces. Data from the Art Basel & UBS report analysis via Observer confirms that while the market returned to growth in 2025, the recovery remains uneven and structurally different from previous boom cycles.
Why Art Collectors Are Moving Away From FOMO
One of the clearest signs of this change is the decline of urgency. For years, fear of missing out drove decisions. The idea that an opportunity might disappear created pressure to act quickly, sometimes at the expense of clarity.
Today, that urgency is fading. Collectors are taking more time, asking better questions, and becoming more comfortable walking away. This aligns with broader market behavior, where caution is replacing speculation and long-term positioning is taking precedence over short-term wins.
The Rise of Intentional Art Collecting Strategies
In place of impulse, structure is emerging. Collectors are no longer just acquiring works, they are building frameworks around their decisions. What was once instinctive is now increasingly strategic. There is a growing emphasis on coherence, on how individual works relate to one another, and on how a collection evolves over time. This kind of intentionality is what separates casual buying from serious collecting.
Why a Slower Art Market Creates Better Opportunities
A slower market is often misunderstood as a weaker one. In reality, it creates space, space to think, to evaluate, and to act with greater precision. When the pace slows, pricing becomes more rational. Conversations deepen. Relationships between collectors, galleries, and artists become less transactional and more meaningful. Market analysis shows that while sales have returned to growth, they remain below previous peaks, reinforcing a more cautious and selective environment.
The Impact of Social Media on Art Market Perception
Digital platforms have fundamentally changed how art is discovered. Instagram and online viewing rooms have made the market more accessible, but they have also intensified the sense of constant movement.
The result is a paradox. While access has improved, interpretation has become more difficult. The sheer volume of visibility can create the illusion that everything matters equally, and urgently. Collectors are now learning to filter that noise.
Why Visibility Does Not Equal Long-Term Value in Art
The most common mistake in a visibility-driven market is confusing presence with importance. Just because something is widely seen does not mean it will endure. Long-term value in art is rarely built on consensus. It is built on conviction, context, and consistency over time. This is where discipline becomes critical. Collectors who understand this are less concerned with what is trending and more focused on what is meaningful.
Precision, Timing, and Discipline in Art Acquisition
Access, once the defining advantage in the art world, is no longer enough. What matters now is precision, knowing what to acquire, when to acquire it, and at what price.
This requires a deeper level of engagement. It involves understanding not just the work itself, but the conditions around it, market positioning, artist trajectory, and broader context. Discipline, in this sense, is not restrictive. It is what allows collectors to move with confidence.
The Evolving Role of Art Advisors in a Slower Market
As the market shifts, so too does the role of the advisor. The focus is moving away from facilitating transactions and toward providing structure and clarity. Advisors are increasingly expected to help navigate complexity, identifying risks, challenging assumptions, and aligning decisions with long-term goals. In a slower market, this kind of guidance becomes even more valuable.
The Future of the Art Market, Stability, Strategy, and Long-Term Value
What we are seeing is not a temporary slowdown, but a structural change. The next phase of the art market will be defined by greater discipline, more informed participants, and a stronger emphasis on long-term value. For collectors, this presents an opportunity. A slower market rewards those who are willing to think independently, engage deeply, and act with intention.
The art market is slowing down. And far from being a cause for concern, it may be the most constructive shift the industry has seen in years.
Meet Astrid Rosetti, the woman who knows exactly what’s happening behind the velvet ropes of the global art market.
Part high-stakes advisor and part strategic operator, Astrid works across collection building, private art investment structures, and institutional and corporate projects, while also teaching at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
With over a decade of experience navigating the complexities of the global art market, she’s the perfect person who’s brain to pick on the long game; global opportunity; slow art; and the future priorities of collectors and advisors. Here’s what Astrid had to say.
1AN: When you founded Rosetti Firmenich Art Advisory, what gaps were you seeing in the market that collectors weren’t being adequately served by?
Astrid Rosetti: I was struck by how little truly independent advice existed in a market where significant financial and cultural decisions are made every day. Information circulates within closed networks, often benefiting those already inside the system, while collectors are expected to navigate complexity with limited transparency.
What still surprises me most is how casually advice is treated in art. People will conduct extensive due diligence when buying property or financial assets, yet routinely make six- or seven-figure art acquisitions without independent guidance. Buying art is easy, and anyone can spend money. Selling it, managing it, or building a coherent collection over time without losses or reputational risk is where it becomes far more complex.
Art advising is not about taste. It is about navigating pricing asymmetries, conflicts of interest, liquidity, and timing. I wanted to create a structure where advice is impartial, strategic, and grounded in trust while also having the freedom to choose the clients and projects I work with.
1AN: That makes sense. Clearly, there’s so much to consider. So, when assessing long-term relevance, what signals or indicators do you believe serious collectors should be paying closer attention to right now?
Astrid Rosetti: What has shifted most is the level of awareness among collectors particularly the next generation. They are informed, intentional, and far less interested in being told what matters. The role today is not to “educate,” but to challenge, refine, and position decisions within a broader, long-term context.
For more established collectors, the focus has moved toward precision. It is no longer about access to the market, but access to the right works often off-market, correctly priced, and acquired with discipline. That requires relationships, timing, and a clear understanding of where real value sits.
At the same time, not everything should be over-strategised. With emerging artists, the logic is often simpler: buy the work if you genuinely connect with it. Follow the artist, support the trajectory, and accept that not everything needs to be optimised financially.
The most common mistake remains the same, confusing visibility with value. Long-term relevance is rarely built on consensus; it is built on conviction, consistency, and context.
1AN: As the art market becomes increasingly global, how should collectors rethink geography, access, and where opportunity truly lies?
Astrid Rosetti: The market has globalised, but what we are seeing now is a correction. For years, the system was becoming increasingly homogenised with the same artists, the same conversations, the same acquisitions circulating between New York, London, Hong Kong, and beyond. You could travel across continents and encounter essentially the same market. That model is losing momentum.
Collectors are now building more complex, individual collections, and moving across geographies, categories, and narratives with far greater independence. I would not advise a client to buy the same type of work in London, Shanghai, and São Paulo simply because it is visible everywhere. That is not strategy. That is repetition.
Opportunity today lies in context: understanding regional ecosystems, local dynamics, and under-recognized practices that sit outside the dominant circuits. The assumption that value is concentrated in a handful of global centres is being challenged and rightly so.
1AN: Interesting, but in a market often driven by speed, hype, and visibility, how do you encourage clients to slow down and collect with intention?
Astrid Rosetti: The market has already slowed and that is a necessary correction. We are seeing a shift from reactive buying to more deliberate, informed decision-making.
At the same time, platforms like Instagram have fundamentally changed how collectors discover and engage with artists. That is a positive shift. It has created a more direct, immediate relationship between artists and collectors, which did not exist in the same way before.
The issue is not access, it is interpretation. Constant visibility creates the illusion that opportunities are always disappearing, which can lead to rushed decisions. Strong collections are not built through urgency.
There is no substitute for time and exposure: seeing works in person, speaking with artists, understanding gallery dynamics, and developing a clear framework for decision-making. Yes, it is demanding. But without that, mistakes are inevitable
I often say to my clients and students: buying art is easy. Buying it for the right reasons, at the right moment, with a clear understanding of what you are engaging with, is where the work begins.
1AN: Looking ahead, how do you see sustainability, responsibility, and cultural stewardship reshaping the future priorities of collectors and advisors alike?
Astrid Rosetti: What is shifting is less about sustainability as a concept, and more about responsibility in practice – how collectors engage with artists, institutions, and the broader ecosystem.
Art still carries the perception of being reserved for a narrow, privileged group. That is both inaccurate and ultimately limiting for the market itself. You can build a serious, thoughtful collection without operating at the highest price levels. Expanding access, intellectually and financially, is essential if the ecosystem is to remain relevant.
At the same time, collectors are becoming more aware of their role beyond acquisition: supporting artists over time, engaging with institutions, and thinking about legacy in cultural, not just financial, terms.
For advisors, this raises the bar. The role is no longer to facilitate transactions. It is to provide structure, clarity, and context in a market that often lacks all three, and to ensure that collecting is approached with intention, not just capital.
Climate change is often communicated through complex data, scientific reports, and alarming statistics. While science provides the essential facts of the crisis, it does not always create the emotional connection needed to inspire action. For many people, the scale and abstraction of climate data can feel distant or overwhelming. This is where visual artists play a powerful role.
Across the world, artists are translating environmental science into visual experiences that make the climate crisis tangible and personal. Through painting, photography, installation art, and public murals, they help audiences see, feel, and understand the urgency of climate change in ways that traditional communication often cannot. As the environmental crisis intensifies, visual art is emerging as a vital tool for climate awareness, public engagement, and cultural change.
Making the Invisible Visible
One of the greatest challenges of communicating climate change is that many of its impacts unfold slowly or occur in distant locations such as melting glaciers, remote forests, or deep oceans. These changes can be difficult for the public to visualize or emotionally grasp. Artists help make these invisible transformations visible.
Visualizing Climate Data
Some artists translate scientific data into powerful imagery. Artist Zaria Forman, for example, creates hyper-realistic pastel drawings of melting glaciers and polar landscapes. Her work transforms satellite data and climate research into immersive visual experiences that allow viewers to confront the reality of rising sea levels.
Revealing the Consequences of Consumption
Photographer Chris Jordan is known for documenting the environmental cost of mass consumption. His haunting images of albatross chicks whose stomachs are filled with plastic waste reveal the devastating impact of pollution on wildlife. These images have circulated widely in exhibitions and environmental campaigns, forcing audiences to confront the consequences of everyday consumer behavior.
Documenting Industrial Impact
Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky has spent decades capturing large-scale industrial landscapes scarred by mining, oil extraction, and manufacturing. His monumental photographs reveal the immense scale of human industry and its impact on the planet. By presenting these landscapes as both beautiful and unsettling, Burtynsky challenges viewers to reconsider the hidden environmental costs behind modern life.
Art Miami and the Power of Environmental Narrative
The emotional impact of environmental art is often most powerful when experienced in person. At Art Miami, one body of work stopped us in our tracks. The images captured the delicate beauty of the rare Tibetan blue poppy, a flower known for its striking color and fragile habitat (see the featured images above). “The rare Himalayan Blue Poppy’s color appears to be a striking blue. However, when you look closely at its petals you will see a stunning array of at least 15 shades of blue, including cyan, turquoise, and royal blue,” states the artist.
Toronto-based artist T.M. Glassuses the blue poppy as a metaphor for the Earth’s delicate ecosystems. Through intricate digital compositions, Glass emphasizes the fleeting beauty of endangered environments and the vulnerability of species threatened by climate change. The artist’s work reflects a broader movement among contemporary artists who are using symbolism and natural imagery to communicate environmental fragility and resilience.
On the artist’s website is an explanation of the blue poppy’s unusual history. Glass’ pictures celebrate a century of botanical gardens’ heroic efforts in Scotland, Quebec and Pennsylvania to save this rare flower from extinction.
Bridging the Emotional Gap
Scientific reports often inform us about climate change, but they do not always move people emotionally. Art has the unique ability to bridge this emotional gap by engaging empathy, curiosity, and imagination. When viewers encounter environmental art, they are not just reading about climate change. They are experiencing it.
One powerful example is Olafur Eliasson’s installation “Ice Watch.” In this project, large blocks of glacial ice from Greenland were placed in public squares in London and Paris. Passersby could touch the ancient ice as it slowly melted in real time. The installation transformed a distant environmental phenomenon into an immediate, sensory experience. People could hear the cracking ice, feel its cold surface, and witness the passage of time as the sculptures gradually disappeared.
Experiences like this can transform climate anxiety or eco-grief into something more productive: a shared emotional recognition of the need for change.
Imagining Sustainable Futures
While much environmental art focuses on the damage caused by climate change, artists are also helping society imagine alternative futures. Instead of presenting only apocalyptic scenarios, many artists create visions of sustainability, resilience, and ecological harmony. These visions are important because they offer hope and inspire new ways of thinking about our relationship with the planet.
Street Art and Public Activism
Murals and street art have become powerful tools for environmental activism. Large-scale works in urban spaces can communicate urgent messages directly to the public, often reaching audiences far beyond traditional galleries.
Environmental murals created in collaboration with organizations such as Greenpeace or grassroots climate movements transform city walls into platforms for climate awareness. Greenpeace’s collaboration with two Canadian artists who created ocean-themed murals on the coasts of Turtle Island to celebrate the Global Ocean Treaty is a perfect example.
Community Art Projects
Many environmental art initiatives also bring communities together. Public art projects, workshops, and collaborative installations allow participants to explore climate issues collectively and develop a shared sense of responsibility.
Sustainable Artistic Practices
Increasingly, artists are also rethinking the materials they use. Many environmental artists work with recycled materials, biodegradable mediums, or sustainable production methods, ensuring that the creative process itself reflects environmental values.
The Rise of Artivism
A growing number of artists now operate at the intersection of art and activism, often referred to as “artivism.” Artivists use their work to challenge political inaction, corporate pollution, and environmental neglect. By transforming public spaces with provocative imagery, they can influence public discourse, inspire grassroots movements, and bring climate issues into everyday conversation. Unlike traditional advocacy campaigns, artivism engages people visually and emotionally, making environmental messages harder to ignore.
Why Artists Matter in the Climate Fight
As humanity confronts the most significant environmental crisis in modern history, the role of artists has become increasingly important. Visual art does more than decorate walls or galleries. It can translate complex science into human experience, foster empathy for distant ecosystems, and spark conversations that lead to meaningful change.
By bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and everyday life, artists help society imagine, and move toward a more sustainable future. In the climate fight, their work is not simply aesthetic. It is cultural transformation.
The conversation around digital and new media art is shifting from novelty and hype toward rigor, discipline, and mainstream market relevance. Once treated as a fringe category, digital art is increasingly attracting collectors, galleries, museums, and institutional curators who are asking deeper questions about authorship, scarcity, and long-term value. This is not merely a trend; it’s a paradigm shift in how the art world thinks about creation, preservation, and ownership.
The Rise of Digital and New Media Art
Digital art, a broad category including generative projects, immersive installations, and networked work, has evolved from niche experimentation to global market significance. According to the 2025 Art Basel & UBS Survey of Global Collecting, digital art ranked third in total collector spending, trailing only painting and sculpture. More than half of high-end collectors surveyed reported purchasing a digital artwork in the past two years. This shift reflects a larger pattern that collectors are no longer defined by medium alone but by meaningful engagement with technology, process, and artistic intent.
From Mass Production to Mature Presentation
In its early stages, digital art often lived on the edges of the art market. It was quick to produce, easy to distribute, and challenging to frame within traditional institutional contexts. Today, curators and institutions are demanding presentation standards, contextual frameworks, and interpretive layers that anchor digital art within broader art historical conversations. This move away from spectacle toward curated depth signals to serious buyers that digital art isn’t “just different”. It is worthy of the same critical infrastructure as painting or sculpture. With more than half of major collectors buying digital works and collection share jumping from 3% to 13% in a year, digital art is moving from fad to fixturein the global art scene.
What Maturity Looks Like in Practice
Maturity in the digital art space manifests in several interconnected ways:
Curatorial Context Over Click Counts
Where once digital art was showcased as novelty or technology demonstration, it is now being assessed through curatorial lenses that emphasize cultural relevance, thematic coherence, and material context. This shift mirrors how photography and video, once marginalized, eventually gained institutional legitimacy over decades.
Documentation and Preservation Standards
Unlike static canvases, digital works may include code, software dependencies, or networked components. For collectors, this raises questions about format migration, archiving, and readability over time. Thoughtful documentation from source files to installation instructions becomes a form of preservation insurance.
The Digital Art Collector’s New Vocabulary
Serious collectors now need to think beyond traditional descriptions like “medium” or “edition size.” In the digital era, key terms include:
Provenance metadata: Immutable records of creation and ownership
Edition protocols: Defined limits and distribution methods
Display and conservation plans: How the work will endure over time
As digital art extends beyond static formats, these considerations become central to valuation and market confidence.
Provenance, Trust, and the Risk of Fraud
As the sophistication of digital art increases, so does the risk posed by technologically assisted fraud. Recent reports indicate that AI is being used to generate convincing but false provenance documents, from forged certificates of authenticity to simulated sales invoices, complicating traditional due diligence.
For collectors, this underscores an enduring truth: trust remains the currency of the art market, whether physical or digital. Clear provenance, credible documentation, and institutional visibility are non-negotiables for long-term value.
Institutions Signal What Matters Most
When major museums, fairs, and biennials allocate space, editorially, not cursorily , to digital art, like Art Basel’s Zero 10, they implicitly set a valuation framework. Collectors should view these signals as indicators of art historical integration rather than fleeting novelty.
While not tied to one specific initiative, recent curated presentations of digital and new media art at leading international venues reflect this broader institutional shift. These platforms emphasize curation over quantity, context over spectacle, and standards over novelty, signaling to collectors that digital art is entering a structured, sustainable phase of recognition.
The Crossroads of Innovation and Discipline
Digital art’s evolution isn’t about abandoning experimentation; it’s about balancing innovation with rigor. Creators are exploring AI, generative systems, immersive environments, and interactive interfaces but these technological frameworks are now integrated into artistic practices that value meaning over novelty, complexity over chaos.
This maturation clears a path for collectors who want to engage with digital art on substantive terms, valuing work for its conceptual depth and lasting impact, not just its mode of production.
Bringing New Media into Your Collection
For seasoned and emerging collectors alike, acquiring digital art requires updated strategies:
1. Know the Creation Process – Ask how technology was used. Was it a tool of expression or a shortcut? Understanding this distinction clarifies artistic intent and informs long-term value.
2. Demand Clear Provenance – Insist on documentation that outlines ownership history, technical specs, and conservation plans that are essential for future sales or estate planning.
3. Consider Display and Longevity – Digital art may require screens, servers, or software environments. Factor these into acquisition planning as you would condition reports for physical works.
4. Vet Institutions and Curators – Recognize when a work has been supported, commissioned, or contextualized by credible institutions that endorsement enhances cultural capital.
5. Build a Diverse Portfolio – Balance digital works with established mediums and hybrid practices. This not only spreads risk but also deepens narrative richness within your collection.
Why This Matters for Long-Term Digital Art Value
Collecting is never just about owning works. It’s about stewarding cultural meaning across generations. As digital and new media art move toward greater institutional integration and market structure, the foundations for lasting valuation are being laid.
Collectors who embrace not just the aesthetic but the infrastructure of digital art, documentation, standards, historical context, will be best positioned to build collections that endure and resonate.
From Disruption to Discipline
Digital art is no longer a technological novelty. It is a maturing field of artistic practice that demands the same rigor, questioning, and care that has long defined traditional art forms. Where early digital collecting was driven by spectacle and speed, the next phase is defined by discernment, preservation, and thoughtful stewardship.
For serious collectors, this transition offers an unprecedented opportunity, to shape the future of art history not as passive participants, but as thoughtful custodians of innovation grounded in critical standards. In this era, collecting isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about anchoring creativity within structures that amplify cultural value.
Miami plays by its own rules, and so do the art advisors who define its scene. This is a city where art collectors think big, move fast, and expect insight that cuts through the noise.
The advisors featured here are the ones shaping Miami’s cultural pulse: the strategists behind museum-worthy collections, the connectors who discover artists before the rest of the world catches on, and the voices who know where the market is heading next. If you want to collect with confidence and conviction, start here!
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Miami’s top art advisors prove that great collecting isn’t about luck. It’s about guidance, insight, and a trusted partner who sees the bigger picture. Whether you’re new to collecting or ready to level up your strategy, investing in the right advisory knowledge is game-changing.
For collectors ready to go deeper, ArtCollect offers expert-led lessons, insider interviews, and a framework for navigating the art world with confidence, helping you collect smarter and make your next acquisition your best yet.
For those looking to guide others, being an art advisor today is exciting but challenging. With no industry-wide standards, mentorship and best practices are essential. That’s why we created Art Advisory 101 and 201, industry-led programs that teach aspiring advisors how to navigate the art world, run a successful business, and manage client relationships with confidence.
Over the past decade, Latin American and Latinx artists have moved from the periphery of the global art market into its central conversation. What once appeared as periodic surges of interest, often tied to isolated “Latin American Art” auction sales, has evolved into a sustained, structural shift in institutional, scholarly, and market frameworks. Today, collectors, museums, and art advisors are recalibrating their strategies to embrace these artists not as niche categories, but as fundamental contributors to global contemporary art.
What’s Driving the Global Surge?
The renewed attention toward artists from Latin America and the Caribbean diaspora is neither accidental nor merely cyclical. It is the result of a powerful convergence, new scholarship broadening traditional art-historical narratives, curators reshaping museums with global intentionality, and collectors seeking culturally resonant acquisitions. As Miami based advisor Andrea Zorrilla notes, this “re-positioning has been seismic,” expanding the market’s awareness and appetite for Latin American and Latinx art.
Rewriting the Canon: Scholarship as Market Catalyst
One of the strongest engines behind this momentum is a wave of rigorous, revisionist scholarship. Researchers and curators are illuminating previously overlooked artistic lineages; Afro-Caribbean abstraction, Indigenous futurisms, feminist interventions from the Southern Cone, and experimental conceptual practices that paralleled but were rarely acknowledged by their European or U.S. counterparts. These academic reassessments invite collectors to engage with a more nuanced, globally integrated art history, one where canonical hierarchies are being actively rewritten.
Museums Transforming Their Frameworks
Institutional change has been equally influential. Major museums in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America are diversifying acquisitions, recruiting curators with global expertise, and foregrounding artists who speak to diasporic identities, colonial legacies, and transnational exchange. Blockbuster exhibitions in the past decade such as surveys of Lygia Pape, Carmen Herrera, and Juan Downey have expanded audiences and stimulated collector demand. This shift is not superficial, it reflects a deeper institutional commitment to representation, equity, and cultural context.
Patronage and Demand for Cultural Representation
At the same time, museum patrons are pushing for more inclusive cultural narratives. Donor groups focused on Latin American and Latinx art, from Tate’s Latin American Acquisitions Committee to the MoMA Latin America Fund, have played pivotal roles in shaping collections and driving acquisitions. Their advocacy ensures that institutional change is not temporary but part of a long-term reorientation toward global breadth and cultural fidelity.
Auctions and Art Fairs: A New Market Structure
The major auction houses have also redefined their approach. Rather than siloing Latin American art into regional categories, they are integrating these works into global sales placing Olga de Amaral, Wifredo Lam, or Ana Mendieta alongside their European and U.S. contemporaries. This structural integration has elevated market visibility and helped reinforce the idea that Latin American art is not a regional footnote, but a cornerstone of modern and contemporary practice.
The market has responded accordingly. Works like Olga de Amaral’s Pueblo H (2011) sold for $3.12 million, more than five times its high estimate of $600,000 at Christie’s on November 19,2025 in their 21st century evening sale in New York. At art fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, and ARCO Madrid, galleries representing Latin American and diasporic artists are receiving prime placement and broader curatorial framing.
Beyond Categories: Why Context Matters in Collecting
For collectors, understanding the cultural and historical context behind these artists is essential. Collectors are encouraged to think beyond isolated acquisitions and instead pursue cross-category integration, a strategy that draws connections between artists across geographies, disciplines, and generations.
This approach illuminates shared themes of migration, identity, material innovation, political resistance, and the experimentation that has long defined Latin American modernisms and contemporary practices. Such contextualization ensures a collection is not only aesthetically compelling but intellectually and historically grounded.
Building Meaningful, Long-Term Collections
Thoughtful collecting requires intentionality and a willingness to slow down. This is especially true when building a collection that incorporates Latin American and Latinx art, where cultural context, material specificity, and regional histories play a critical role in understanding the work. Clients should approach the market with patience, research, and long-term vision. The integrity of a collection emerges through considered choices, not reactive buying.
Moreover, sustained visibility for these artists beyond moments of trend or market heat is essential. Supporting galleries, foundations, archives, and exhibitions that center Latin American and diasporic voices contributes to long-term cultural preservation and equity.
Looking Ahead: A Market That’s Here to Stay
The global art world is undergoing a profound realignment, and Latin American and Latinx artists are shaping the future of that landscape. The shift is not just market-driven, it reflects genuine cultural and scholarly interest that is reshaping institutional priorities and collector behavior.
We see the integration of these artists as both an ethical imperative and an opportunity to build more compelling, globally conscious collections. Latin American and Latinx art is not an emerging category, it is an essential part of the global canon, rich with innovation, complexity, and enduring influence.
The art world is constantly evolving, and few places capture this dynamic energy quite like Miami. Here, we sit down with Sebastien Laboureau, a seasoned art advisor who has his finger on the pulse of this vibrant scene.
Whether you’re an art enthusiast, investor, or simply curious about what’s next in the art world, Sebastien’s insights promise to offer valuable guidance and fresh ideas. Stay tuned as we explore the intersection of creativity, culture, and commerce through his expert lens.
1AN: Miami has become a major hub for collectors and cultural programming. How has the city shaped your approach as an art advisor over the past 15 years?
Sebastien Laboureau: Miami has transformed the way I see collecting. It is a city where energy, ambition, and creativity constantly collide, sometimes beautifully, sometimes chaotically. Living and working here has taught me that advising collectors is not just about finding great art, but it is about creating meaning in motion. The city forces you to stay sharp, curious, and adaptable. It is also where IntelArt.iowas born: a platform built to bring knowledge and structure to an ever-changing market. In a place that celebrates glamour and spontaneity, I have learned to value clarity, context and continuity above all.
1AN: Makes sense, as often collecting in Miami intersects with the city’s vibrant events, from Art Basel to local galleries. How do you help clients navigate both the social and investment aspects of the market?
Sebastien Laboureau: Art Basel Miami Beach week is a masterclass in sensory overload: beautiful, exhausting, and at times slightly absurd. My role is to bring calm and meaning to apparent chaos. I help clients distinguish true value from fashionable noise and remind them that collecting should be guided by knowledge, not hype. The best collections are not built on social prestige but on conviction and curiosity. Investing in art should be both rational and joyful: a balanced blend of discipline and delight. If one can find serenity amid Basel’s storm, one can collect with intelligence anywhere.
1AN: Your work spans Post-War, Contemporary, and Urban Art. How do you decide which pieces or artists to introduce to a collection, particularly in a market as dynamic as Miami’s?
Sebastien Laboureau: Choosing the right artwork is both a science and a confession. I rely on research, experience, and instinct: three voices that don’t necessarily agree, but together form a good compass. I look for works that will endure once the noise fades: a Warhol that still questions fame, a Kusama that still vibrates with obsession, or a young urban artist who transforms rebellion into poetry. BanksyExplained.com grew from this same firm belief: that knowledge turns chaos into understanding. A piece must not only please the eye but also provoke thought and reflect the collector’s own story.
1AN: You’ve curated large-scale exhibitions and programs, such as at the Sagamore Miami Beach. How does your experience with public-facing curation inform the advice you give private collectors?
Sebastien Laboureau: Curation teaches humility: it reminds you that art doesn’t exist for you; you exist to serve it, and it exists to serve everybody. Exhibiting at places like the iconic Sagamore Hotel made me understand how artworks breathe together, how context transforms meaning. When advising collectors, I bring that awareness of narrative, balance and dialogue. A collection must breathe, not just accumulate. Each acquisition should resonate within a larger symphony. Curation trained me to listen to what art does in space, how it speaks to others, and how it ages. In short, it taught me that building a collection is not assembling trophies but orchestrating a story of vision and time.
1AN: Looking ahead, what art market trends or shifts excite you most, and how do you anticipate advising collectors to adapt to them over the next decade?
Sebastien Laboureau: We are entering a new era where technology and creativity are merging faster than our ability to define them. AI will generate images by the millions, yet authenticity and expertise will become even more valuable. That is what I built IntelArt.io for: to give collectors reliable knowledge and structure. Meanwhile, artists like Banksy remind us why art still matters: because it questions, provokes, and connects us in ways algorithms can’t. My advice for the next decade is simple: collect with curiosity, think critically, and never forget that great art is not decoration, but rather resistance with style and meaning.
How the Paris Art Scene Responds When Democracy Falters
I have returned to Paris often enough that the city is no longer a destination but a process of thinking. Arrival here is rarely neutral.
As a student in the late 60’s in Paris, I supplemented my undergraduate exposure as an art historian and French major immersed in the literature and philosophy of the past from Racine, Pascal, Voltaire, Moliere, Balzac, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Proust, Camus and Sartre, with the ground-breaking French philosophers and intellectuals of the time, several of whose classes I was privileged to attend.
Claude Levi-Strauss and Jean Piaget, believed that human thought and behavior are based on underlying, universal structures. They shared a “structuralist” approach, focusing on the interconnected systems and relationships that shape mental and cultural phenomena. Michel Foucault’s philosophical work focused on the idea that knowledge and power are inseparable. All ideas convey power that alters human behavior, and institutions primarily serve as organized attempts to manipulate individuals for particular ends. Foucault criticized historical Western classical-liberal norms for concealing power impositions under the guise of humanitarianism and rationalism. Roland Barthes asserted that the meaning of a text or work is not limited to the author’s intention. On the contrary, it is multiple, shifting, and nourished by the interpretations of readers/viewers.
French anthropologists, philosophers, psychologists, psychoanalysts, and poets – were radically changing how we understood the world, knowledge and humanism. These critical theories were intended to provide the philosophical underpinnings and tools for dealing with the traumas caused by colonialism, racism, homophobia, misogyny.
The 60’s and early 70’s were years of political trauma and uprising in France and the United States. For those who know the history, this is not the first time Paris has hosted the collision of art, law, and political upheaval. The spring of 1968 turned the Latin Quarter into a rehearsal studio for new forms of public life — not just protests, but posters, slogans, manifestos, improvised cinemas, print shops, and collective seeing.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated while I was in Paris during the events of 1968. Protests against racism, the war in Vietnam, attacks on homosexuals, and discrimination in employment and voting continued unabated.
These French writers offered and urged acceptance of the challenge to denaturalize social, aesthetic and linguistic norms and open up new ways of seeing and acting upon the world. The lesson is not that 1968 can be repeated. The lesson is that culture becomes political not when it demands agreement, but when it demands attention.
Paris in 2025 is not Paris in 1968. But the echo remains: art once again asks not what we think, but how we see.
Paris in October: The Movable Feast and the Work of Seeing
Paris has always been a stage for art, politics, memory, and spectacle, a city where institutions narrate history and the streets rehearse its future. To come in late October or November is to enter a season when the art world contracts and intensifies at once. Museums unveil major exhibitions; fairs garner their markets and rituals. Even ordinary looking may be reframed and charged with consequence.
Last year’s highlights were the successful recapture of the recently restored Grand Palais, an Art Nouveau exhibition hall originally built for the 1900 World’s Fair — by Art Basel Paris and my restoration to the status of Vip d’Honneur 10 am, with access en principe to a BMW; Mark Rothko, at The Foundation Louis Vuitton, and the 100th anniversary celebrating the birth of Surrealism at the Centre Pompidou. This year, the question was not whether Paris might offer escape from the attacks on democracy and the rule of law occurring elsewhere. The city of light does not promise refuge. Paris draws us, like a magnet to the moveable feast of our youth, an ever-shifting confluence of action and theory, its bright beacon illuminating for all who choose to observe the dynamics of power, institutional responsibility, and the role of art in a destabilized civic order.
To write from Paris in November 2025 is to write from a place where the spectacle of culture meets the machinery of law, where museums defend their relevance while markets define value faster than criticism can keep pace, and where the line between political event and cultural gesture grows thinner each season.
It is also inevitable as a lawyer/observer to write through the lens as someone trained to unearth facts and observe process, watch where power collects, and how it is justified, resisted, or manipulated. But in October 2025, the city felt less like an ideal and more like a mirror: a place where the same pressures facing cultural institutions elsewhere—censorship, market capture, donor influence, political oversight, public exhaustion—are not avoided but exposed.
The notes that follow are not a travelogue. They are a working record of how Paris stages the relationship between art and democracy at a time when both are under strain. In this season, the work of seeing is not passive. It is a civic act.
The Art Fair Circuit: Does the Marketplace Becomes a Forum?
Every October, Paris becomes the temporary capital of the global art market. What has come to be known as Paris Art Week is a choreography of VIP previews, tiered access, speculative buying, institutional courting, and rapid valuation. Access is currency here, and status appears not as taste but as architecture suspended on the cliff of theater.
Art Basel Paris (formerly FIAC) takes over the Grand Palais, and there are a host of satellite fairs: Paris Internationale and Asia Now in their tenth edition, as well as Offscreen in its fourth edition, are amongst my favorites. Offscreen, which highlights installations, still and moving images, was founded by Julien Freydman, the former Magnum, then Paris Photo director. The late Shigeko Kubota, pioneering Korean video artist was honored this year with an exhibition of video works, largely unknown in France. Offscreen was sited this year appropriately at the Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière, part of the historic complex founded by Louis XIV in 1656. It nudged out the Grand Palais as the most relevant architectural and politically resonant fair venue, in keeping with historical, aesthetic and philosophical themes of other exhibitions. The hospital is shrouded with a notorious history of the treatment of “mad women” and the diagnosis of hysteria in women. The latter is the legacy of nineteenth century Dr Jean-Martin Charcot whom the French recognize as the father of modern neurology. Charcot’s Iconographie Photographique de la Salpêtrière (1876-80) is a landmark publication in medical photography. This collection of texts and photographs represents the female patients of Dr. Charcot at the Salpêtrière hospital and asylum during the years of his tenure as director. His classroom presentations of female hysteria in his patients became theater spectacle for “toute Paris”, including Toulouse Lautrec, and students, like Sigmund Freud, who translated his work into German. The Surrealists as well as artists like Egon Schiele were also influenced by these studies. The lens of French Theory, particularly, Michel Foucault, was relevant historically in 1968 and is today, to provide a narrative to understanding this institution of madness and hysteria. So to is Convulsive States (2023), by video and performance artist Liz Magic Laser. Her original installation and exhibition at Pioneer Square in 2023, critically and brilliantly explored the shaking body as both a symptom and a cure for psychic distress, in part, through the artifice of an hallucinatory investigative report that feverishly pursues the cure for hysteria as it uncovers mysteries at the Salpêtrière.
Offscreen offered many installations overtly or conceptually distinctly political charged. Not surprising, where the hospital’s control over bodies, women and other marginalized persons is embedded in the stones. The installation of Quentin Le Franc, which questions how art responds when democratic space contracts, seems particularly appropriate to the historical, social and cultural history of the site. The architecture serves as a framework, territory and playground for the works to create a dialogue between the historical context and installation.
The Art Basel brand is unapologetically and successfully associated with quality and commerce and the Grand Palais is a perfect site for its ambitions. Yet, and through no fault of the architecture, any sense of community and collegiality is in the imagination. To the extent the VIP program of FIAC (Frances’s signature contemporary and modern art fair for 47 years, before the takeover), promoted this community and salon of ideas, it is lost in this art world dominated by mega-fairs and mega-sales, largely, one might imagine, for investments. Basel Paris has still to learn about how physical not virtual community and conversations promotes sales and value. Paris’ satellite fairs thrive on something else: intimacy, inclusivity, experimentation, and belief in the potential and message of the artists represented.
Museums, Memory and the Politics of Exhibition
If fairs are where value is made, museums are where meaning is negotiated. This season, several major Paris institutions mounted exhibitions that engage directly—sometimes explicitly, sometimes obliquely—with the question of historical memory and democratic fragility.
Paris has never been a neutral ground for culture. Its primarily government funded institutions – Louvre, Pompidou, Musée d’Art Moderne, Quai d’Orsay, Palais de Tokyo – were built not just to preserve art, but to define what counts as art, what counts as history, and who is authorized to speak. Three major private collections add different voices and perspectives, through the exhibition of works of their owners, commissioned works and loans for exhibitions. These private museums and/or non-for-profit subsidiaries of luxury brands would not exist were it not for the luxury brands and the fortunes which fund their “owners” passions, tastes and exhibitions: The Cartier Foundation was founded in 1984; Bernard Arnault officially commissioned the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and the project was publicly announced in October 2006, after the concept and architect, Frank Gehry was selected in 2001; and the Pinault Collection founded 1999, Paris, 2021. All have block buster major exhibitions on view through January, with only the Cartier exhibition opening to coincide explicitly with the festivities of Paris Basel.
Whether by coincidence or confluence, I noted a synergy amongst the various exhibitions selected for this article. Perhaps it is the convergence of the 100th year of the birth of Surrealism and the 100th of Art Deco. In 1925, the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris marked the peak of Art Deco. Decorators, manufacturers, magazines, department stores, artists, and even foreign nations competed fiercely to occupy Parisian buildings or erect temporary structures to display their latest creations, at or adjacent to the selected site, the Grand Palais.
The destabilization of the world order, attacks on the rule of law, the rise of fascism, conflicts, and genocide and the disappearance of facts as we know them, have provoked responses of the art world and the broader question of the role of the artist and art in these times. Several of the exhibitions may have been planned before the current threats to democracy and the fact that the world is increasingly divided into camps and an alternative universe. Yet, the artists and exhibitions on view provide remarkable and appropriate models for hope and transformation to a more equitable and harmonious world, whether such art is influenced and fuelled by poetry, imagination, Surrealism, French Theory, Buddhism or variants thereupon.
Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes were significantly influenced by Surrealism, particularly in its challenge to rational thought and traditional structures of meaning. Surrealism, through its emphasis on the unconscious, dreams, and “pure psychic automatism,” sought to bypass conscious, rational control to access a deeper reality. This devaluation of the rational mind resonated with post-structuralist thinkers who critiqued the dominance of reason and objective truth in Western thought. Exhibitions in Paris reflect these historical trends of poetry and spirituality on the one hand and politics on the other.
Palais de Tokyo — Echo, Delay, Reverb: American Art and Francophone Thought 22 October 2025 – 15 February 2026, Artistic Director Naomi Beckwith and Elvan Zabunyan
Curated as dialogue rather than thesis, it questions what happens when cultural history is not linear but recursive—when images return but are altered by power. Even though I participated as a law professor in an academic group originating at the Harvard Law School inspired by French Theory in the 1980’s, which included Professor Derrick Bell, the founder of critical race theory, I was unaware of the huge impact Beckwith claims for French Theory on United States artists and artistic practice, until her brilliantly conceived and ambitiously orchestrated exhibition, I was also unaware of the role played in the dissemination of French Theory by the Whitney Independent Study (ISP) Program. Beckwith is an alumna. The program has been suspended for next year by the chilling effect of President Trump’s attacks on wokeism and freedom of speech and artistic expression. In May, a performance involving Palestine was also cancelled.
The exhibition purports to show how artists in the United States catalyzed the revolutionary energies of thinkers who were by turn activists and poets – from Simon de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida to Frantz Fanon, Jean Genet, Aimé Césaire, Monique Wittig, Pierre Bourdieu and Edouard Glissant – to transgress genres and shift perspectives on the world today. Beckwith’s thesis is that reading the work of these authors helped artists in the United States to translate their ideas into unexpected forms and to forge tools with which critique institutions of the art world and of society as a whole. For them, theory has not been a gloss but a powerful impetus for denaturalizing social, aesthetic and linguistic norms and opening up new ways of seeing and acting upon the world.
A chilling effect has not prevented the excellent resource and text book, which accompanies the exhibition. This is not a catalogue, pays homage to Palestine and its flag in the colors red, black, white and green, is in memory of Felix Gonzalez Torres an alumnus of ISP who created an artwork on this theme, and is offered as a tool kit for resistance and hope in this chaotic time.
This work of Allora & Calzadilla references and pays homage to a meeting of which took place in Martinque in April 1941 between a group of artists and writers Andre Breton, Wifredo Lam and Claude Levi Strauss fleeing from occupied France, and Martinican poets Suzanne and Aime Cesaire.
Melvin Edwards — Palais de Tokyo Part of the “Echo, Delay, Reverb” season
After Nazism, the Eurocentric conception of the human as a central value was challenged by many postwar philosophers.
At the same time, Frantz Fanon, as well as the poets of Négritude—such as Aimé Césaire, with his Discourse on Colonialism (1950), Suzanne Césaire, and Léon-Gontran Damas—contributed to this critique of humanism by highlighting the dehumanizing character of the colonial and racist project that structures Western societies. Homage to his friend Damas is below. Mel Edwards was a close friend of the Négritude co-founder, the poet Léon-Gontran Damas from French Guiana, and dedicated a major five-part work, Homage to the Poet Léon-Gontran Damas (1978-1981), to him. This connection highlights the influence of Négritude’s ideas, which centered on affirming Black identity and culture against the backdrop of French colonialism and universalism, on Edwards’ practice. Edwards’ long-standing sculptural language—barbed wire, welded steel, forms evoking captivity and resistance—reads differently in 2025, when the question is no longer how violence is remembered, but how it is normalized.
The Poetics of Resistance: Beyond Identity, Beyond Didacticism
If the Palais de Tokyo tends toward theory—structural, academic, curatorial—another artistic response has emerged in Paris this season: a poetics rather than a manifesto. A turn toward imagination rather than argument. Not post-political, but post-didactic. Artists who refuse to reduce themselves to representation yet refuse to abandon the political stakes of the moment.
This is visible across several exhibitions, but most clearly in three figures whose work moves past identity categories into something speculative, visionary or poetic.
Jemison’s work treats language, gesture and futurity as forms of refusal. Her films, texts and performances engage Afrofuturism not as fantasy but as method: a way to make space where dominant narratives refuse it.
Rather than depict identity, she disassembles it—turning the viewer from spectator into decoder. Jemison is one of the clearest reminders that art does not need to choose between politics and poetry; it can make politics legible only through poetry.
This installation is a powerful interweaving of physical phenomena with histories of Black liberation and political resistance. It transforms the gallery space into a site for profound reflection on the visible and invisible forces that shape human movement and memory. In 1831, Nat Turner, a plantation slave in Virginia, witnessed an eclipse, interpreting it as a sign for rebellion. Clear Skies/ Troubled Waters examines revolt and repression from 1831 to race riots in Boston Newark and Detroit in the summer of 1967 through natural phenomena (eclipses, wind patterns, variations in light and gravity).
Gerhard Richter — Foundation Louis Vuitton 17 October 2025 – 2 March 2026
A six-decade retrospective, including the politically loaded 18 October 1977 cycle—Richter’s blurred images of the Red Army Faction suicides in German prison. Once controversial, now newly resonant in an age when state violence is both hyper-visible and structurally denied.
Richter famously said:
“Art is the highest form of hope.”
These are not contradictions. They are twin recognitions: that truth is fugitive, and hope requires form. Richter’s abstractions do not resolve history—they hold it in suspension.
George Condo — Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris 10 October 2025 – 8 February 2026
Condo’s Black Series—Expressionism twisted into psychological architecture—returns at a moment when fracture has become a global norm. His figures, distorted but unmistakably human, resemble not political portraits but the emotional ruins politics leaves behind.
If democracy is faltering, Condo’s paintings show the internal weather of that collapse. Not critique, but aftermath.
Philip Guston — Musée Picasso 14 October 2025 – 1 March 2026
Once delayed for fear of public controversy, the Guston exhibition now lands in a world where controversy is constant, and avoidance looks like complicity. The hooded figures return—not as symbols of race alone, but as warnings about what happens when violence goes unexamined long enough to become cartoon.
The museum now asks viewers not whether the work is offensive, but whether our unoffendedness has made us politically numb.
Paris is not just a city of exhibitions but of enacted arguments. Architecture functions here as a legal brief in stone—declaring what is private, what is public, what is preserved, and what is permitted to disappear.
Cité de l’Architecture — Paris 1925: Art Deco and Its Architects 22 October 2025 – 29 March 2026
Bust of Le Corbusier
A centenary exhibition marking Art Deco not as nostalgia but as a reminder that style is never apolitical. Art Deco was the aesthetic of interwar optimism—and of rising authoritarianism. The show includes works by Le Corbusier and others whose visions of order now appear double-edged: utopian, and disciplining.
From 28 April to 30 November 1925, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs was held in Paris, on or near the grounds of the Grand Palais where each country presented its most emblematic achievements in the decorative arts in temporary pavilions.
There were two opposing architectural movements: the Art Deco style and the modernist movement, also known as the international avant-garde.
Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret were given a plot of land behind the Grand Palais for their project. His model scandalized the organizers by its modernism and commitment to low-cost modular housing. He also submitted a radical plan of urbanism for redoing Paris.
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain,
Exposition générale, August 23, 2026
Cartier’s new venue, 2 Place du Palais-Royal is a radical overhaul of the interior of the five-story Haussmann-era block, which was originally built in 1855 as the Grand Hôtel du Louvre, before becoming the Grands Magasins du Louvre. Jean Nouvel, also designed the foundation’s previous iconic glass building on Boulevard Raspail. The inaugural exhibition, which opened October 25 showcases 40 years of the foundation’s history through approximately 600 works by over 100 artists.
Nouvel’s design, once dismissed as spectacle, now reads as a proposition: museums must be legible from the outside or risk becoming citadels: glass, permeability, and civic transparency as architectural thesis. The design emphasizes openness to the city with vast bay windows and glass roofs, creating a “fishbowl-like effect” where the urban landscape becomes part of the exhibition experience. Nouvel made the 5 floors entirely movable, both walls and heights to suit an installation or an exhibition. For many of us, this caused a slightly panicked experience as the rationality of traditional architecture and structural design was no longer a guide to our trajectory and we struggled in the dark to find a path to the elevator or exit.
Perhaps that is the message: Democracy may involve chaos and lack of a clear path in its trade-off with authoritarianism. Freedom has a price. Democracy calls for attention. Looked at in another way, Ateliers Jean Nouvel studio director Mathieu Forest at the press preview explained, “It’s unprecedented…Nothing is permanent – not the floor, not the walls, not the ceiling,” he continued. “You visit and then next time you may have an entirely different perspective.”
What is remarkably interesting in the current exhibition of commissions over the years, is its diversity in the selection of artists from around the world, diversity in medium and out-of-the-box thinking of contemporary art. This is not market-driven art. The architecture of Nouvel seeks to mirror its spirit: the collection is forward looking, inclusive and prescient of the direction of art to come in a world of rapid change, technology, AI and globalism, climate threats, and an uncertain future.
The “Minimal exhibition at the Pinault Collection’s Bourse de Commerce in Paris,” explores the global and international evolution of this movement, which since the early 1960s, has radically reconsidered the status of artwork. As the catalogue states: the movement is characterized by an economy of means, pared-down aesthetics, and a reconsideration of the artwork’s placement in relation to the viewer. Artists across Asia, Europe, North and South America challenged traditional methods of display. This approach invited a more direct, bodily interaction with the art, integrating the viewer and the environment into the artwork itself.
The Minimal exhibition is a counterweight to the spectacle of the fair. Minimal stages quietness as resistance: works by Judd, Kawara, Ryman, LeWitt, Dorthea Rockbourne, Maren Hassinger and Howardena Pindell— pieces that refuse narrative, refuse speed, refuse distraction. In a season of overstimulated publics, the exhibition proposes attention as a political ace. As with Cartier, the exhibition, which is composed largely of Pinault’s collection, is avant-garde in the number of women artists over 50 who only recently have gained the prominence and market deserved.
If democracy depends on attention, then attention must be trained — slowly, deliberately, against the market’s velocity.
The American Parallel: 2024 and the Shrinking Democratic Imagination
Across the Atlantic, the 2024 U.S. election showed what happens when democracy is treated as spectacle instead of structure. Legal systems bent, norms disappeared, fiction and fantasy replaced facts, and institutions once thought stable became stage sets for power.
Since Trump’s Executive Orders, multiple American museums were attacked — not with fire, but with funding withdrawals, board interventions, legislative threats, and demands for “neutrality” that were anything but neutral. The cancellation of several Smithsonian exhibitions, would be based on my understanding of constitutional law for ten years in a law school, unconstitutional. The suspension of the ISP are unconstitutional but the current Court arguably has a different redacted copy of the Constitution and case reporters. As in the 1990’s a chilling effect has spread to cultural institutions: the ISP program has been cancelled for next year and a performance based on Palestine, cancelled in May.
Beyond discussion in this Diary, it would nevertheless be remiss to fail to mention that in New York, Philadelphia and elsewhere, there is “The Poetics of Resistance: Beyond Identity, Beyond Didacticism”. I mention in passing, the brilliant retrospectives, of Coco Fusco, Rashid Johnson, Wifredo Lam, Man Ray and the 100 years of Philadelphia to offer up vision as to art, politics and cultures can resist this moment of authoritarianism and provide a path to a democratic and inclusive future powered by imagination now.
Paris is not the escape from this condition. It is its reflection.
The Politics of Attendance
To attend an exhibition now is not a cultural act alone. It is a civic one. Showing up to the museum, the fair, the talk, the archive is a declaration that public space still matters, that meaning is not fully privatized, that art still functions as more than asset class or décor.
Absence, too, is political and institutions feel it.
In a world where attention is monetized, the decision to give it freely is a form of rebellion.
Conclusion — The Lawyer-Observer Writes from Paris
If critique is the labor of attention, hope is its companion. Not naïve hope, but procedural hope. Thekind that knows democracy is not guaranteed, that the law is not self-enforcing, that culture is not automatically public, but must be defended every season, every exhibition, every time we choose to look rather than scroll past.
Paris does not offer answers, only rehearsals.
It teaches us that art is not evidence, but inquiry. That museums are not mausoleums, but arguments. That fairs are not just markets, but weather reports for the emotional economy of a civilization under stress. That architecture remembers what politics forgets. That the work of seeing is still a public duty. That the poetry, meditation and imagination of artists like Coco Fusco, Jen de Nike and Stepfani Jemison can take us to another exterior level where alternative universes created by different facts transform at a level where the universe begins to acknowledge the oneness of all living beings and that we are all part of a giant ecosystem of life in the universe.
And so, the phrase returns, not as nostalgia but as instruction:
A movable feast.
Not a celebration, but a practice.
Not a refuge, but a rehearsal.
Not an escape from history, but a way of looking at it without surrender.
Art is the highest form of hope.
— Gerhard Richter, Documenta 7 in Kassel, 1982.
With more than a decade of experience at the highest levels of the fine-art world, Andrea M. Zorrilla, AAA has carved out a remarkable niche as an advisor, appraiser and scholar of Modern and Contemporary Latin American and Latinx diaspora art. Formerly Vice President and Specialist of Latin American Art at Sotheby’s in New York, she oversaw record-setting sales, curated landmark exhibitions and helped shape conversations around women’s contributions to Latin American art. Now based in Miami after years in New York, she is poised at the crossroads of art market dynamism, cultural identity and global collecting trends.
In this interview we’ll explore Andrea’s personal journey, the evolving Latin American and Latinx art market, why understanding cultural and historical context is critical, and her take on why appraisals are an important component to collection management.
1AN: You helped shape record-breaking sales for artists like Maria Martins, Olga de Amaral, Alice Rahon and Zilia Sánchezduring your time at Sotheby’s. What did that experience teach you about how the market recognizes and sometimes overlooks value in Latin American and Latinx art?
Andrea Zorrilla:Directly handling the works that would ultimately achieve world auction records for each of these artists continues to be one of the greatest thrills of my career. Each of these women are seminal figures in the story of Modern and Post-War artistic production; their recognition by the market was long overdue. Most importantly, since those respective moments their markets are continuing to experience upward trajectories.
Art history is a global story shaped by vast networks of interconnected and pan-continental artistic exchange. With that said, Latin American artists, artists of the Caribbean diaspora and Latinx artists have often been omitted or briefly mentioned by name from modern Western art history and contemporary American art history.
Visibility of these artists on global market platforms are essential to legitimizing their markets and correlated pricing to the wider collecting public: international auction, art fairs, gallery representation in addition to normalizing their presence within settings such as institutional collections, exhibitions, and critical writings of the arts.
1AN: Agreed that such visibility is essential. So, after more than a decade at one of the world’s top auction houses, you launched AMZ Art Advisory & Appraisals. How does working independently change the way you advocate for artists and guide collectors in building more intentional, globally aware collections?
Andrea Zorrilla: The foundation of my professional ethos has not changed since forming my own independent fine art service. I continue to be driven by the belief that intentional and conscious collecting practices are essential to supporting the larger arts ecosystem. Clients come to me with the understanding that these principles are integral in driving my uniquely oriented advisory services.
In my capacity as independent advisor, I work with my clients in expanding the potential of their collections by introducing a fresh, alternative viewpoint that foregrounds the Global South and/or Latinx practitioners. Essentially, I remove categorical boundaries and ensure a historically coherent, globally attentive visual storyline.
Collecting art should be joyful. A collector, however, should also be willing to challenge themselves by collecting outside of categorical silos and to look beyond trends and “investment return”. The more a collector is challenging themselves, the more their interests and curiosity expand, they more they engage with globally panoramic viewpoints; eventually that discovery and evolutionary process is reflected in their collections/collecting decisions.
1AN: Perhaps this is why we’ve been seeing growing institutional and market attention toward artists from Latin America and the Caribbean diaspora. From your perspective, what’s driving this renewed global interest and how does it differ from the earlier wave of “Latin American art” sales at auction?
Andrea Zorrilla: Across the last decade, a re-positioning of Latin American and Latinx artists to the international collecting public has been seismic in expanding market awareness.
First, a critical wave of new scholarship is taking on rigorous reassessments of art historical movements and is presenting alternative, untold stories that are inclusive of previously overlooked artistic practitioners.
Also, museum curators with global perspectives are reshaping institutional collections and mounting groundbreaking exhibitions. Meanwhile, museum patrons are demanding more diverse and globally tuned-in representation in both curatorial viewpoints/staff in addition to acquisitions.
And in a response to collector expectations and their evolving taste demands, the major auction houses have recalibrated their traditional, siloed categorical formula by integrating Latin American art and Latinx art into their global sales. In parallel to this, art fairs are diversifying the demographic of galleries and exhibited artists.
The above platforms have been essential in heightening the market presence of Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean artists. Most importantly, the visibility of these artists must be ongoing and maintained.
Examining Cesta Lunar 50A by Olga de Amaral prior to its installation. This magnificent work would sell for $555,000 USD in the November 2018 Contemporary Day Sale at Sotheby’s New York, establishing the global auction record for the artist. Cestar Lunar 50A would serve as the global price record for the following six years, when Pueblo X sold in 2024 for $698,000 USD establishing the new record benchmark.
1AN: You often emphasize “cross-category integration and contextualization” in collection planning. Can you explain what that means in practice and why understanding cultural and historical context is critical when building a meaningful collection?
Andrea Zorrilla: I typically work with a wide spectrum of clients, including private collectors, family offices, collection managers and art advisory teams, who have an interest in broadening the art historical impact of their existing and/or growing collections.
Given my decade-plus experience as a trained specialist in both Modern and Contemporary Latin American art and Latinx art, working with clients who collect across multiple categories is second nature to me. Identifying narrative “gaps” as a means to develop a strategic and practical roadmap that incorporates cross-category, multi-disciplinary and multi-generational artistic dialogues within a collection is the core of my advisory practice.
Examples of these narrative threads could be placing a Wifredo Lam next to a Kerry James Marshall with an Agustín Cardenas installed alongside them; an Alejandro Puente installed next to a Frank Stella and a Fanny Sanin; an Ana Mendieta displayed alongside a Joan Jonas and a Carolee Schneemann, a Sarah Grilo hanging right next to a Jean-Michel Basquiat. The narratives are endless as is the potential to continue extending these narrative threads with deliberate and careful foresight.
Building these panoramic collections require earnest commitment from the client as well as a willingness to practice slowing down and taking a mindful approach to buying in order to maintain the integrity of their collection.
1AN: You also function as an appraiser, providing appraisal related services via your independent practice. Can you discuss why appraisals are an important component to collection management?
Andrea Zorrilla: Being an appraiser is a profession, it takes significant time and hands on, in-the-weeds experience to develop the skill set needed to perform an appraisal that maintains compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, while also utilizing your knowledge base in a particular area of expertise to form a competent, sophisticated and relevant value narrative.
When it comes to collection management, appraisers are equally important stakeholders in supporting the responsible stewardship of a collection. To that end, an appraisal can provide valuable insight for a collector and inform their decision-making when it comes to proper care of their collection. An art collector is ultimately a temporary keeper of an artwork with the great responsibility of ensuring the safety and legacy of that work. An example is conducting insurance appraisal updates every few years to best determine appropriate coverage on relevant works. This may avoid the risk of being underinsured in the event of damage or loss to an artwork or alternatively having an artwork overvalued thus impacting premium payments. Another example is for the purpose of legacy and estate planning. An appraisal can be a factor used to determine equitable distribution, long-term/generational maintenance, deaccession options, among other wholistic planning considerations
Meet Spring McManus, a well-respected art advisor with a keen eye for emerging talent and a deep passion for supporting artists in their careers. With over two decades of experience in the art world, Spring has mastered the art of blending creativity and strategy to connect artists, collectors, galleries and institutions in unique and impactful ways.
In this exclusive interview, she shares when she advises clients to take risks, how to stay strategic in the impulsive art fair environment, common misunderstandings about blue-chip art, and more.
1AN: You’ve organized exhibitions by icons like Joan Mitchell and Frank Stella. What’s something most collectors still misunderstand about blue-chip art and how value holds, or doesn’t hold, over time?
Spring McManus: Not all Picassos are created equal… It is just as important to understand when the artwork was created, the subject and what was happening in the artist’s life during the time of production. These all play into the value of an artwork, and it all fluctuates depending on timing of current exhibitions, supply and demand, as well as cultural relevance. When an artist’s works challenge or inspire new generations, values go up. Blue-chip artists like Joan Mitchell or Frank Stella have had moments of renewed focus that reinvigorate demand, but they’ve also experienced quieter cycles.
For years, George Condo’s early works had been overlooked, which created an interesting opportunity for my clients who collect his work in depth. The market focus had been primarily on the cubist portraits or progressions, but over the last few years, there has been a shift with more collectors paying attention to the early works. Now that there is a major retrospective at the Musee d’Art Moderne de Paris highlighting the significance of his early work, I imagine these works will have increased demand, driving prices higher. I am always looking for opportunities like this.
1AN: Well then, it’s good to have access to someone like you with your finger on the pulse! Because even seasoned collectors can fall into patterns and just buy more of the same. How do you push clients to evolve their eye or take risks while still maintaining their trust?
Spring McManus: When I am helping clients build their collections, I am always introducing them to artists that relate to those that they already collect. For example, if a collector is interested in the stars of Surrealism, like Magritte and Dali, I might introduce artworks from Remedios Varo and Valentine Hugo, or Arshile Gorky, and show how these works also connect to contemporary surrealists like Julie Curtiss and Ariana Papademetropoulos. I am always looking for the threads that rhyme visually or create conceptual or historical links.
1AN: That makes sense and I can see how that would help ease anxiety in evolving one’s tastes. But growth in collecting often requires deeper engagement with the art world beyond transactions. Can someone build a meaningful collection today without being connected to institutions, residencies, or philanthropic networks?
Spring McManus: I encourage collectors to engage with cultural institutions because this is where we learn, discover, and understand art within context. Museums and artist residencies are where ideas are shaped, supported, and sometimes amplified, before they reach the market. This part of collecting is foundational. Supporting institutions is also integral to sustaining the ecosystem that allows artists to grow, experiment, and be seen. Part of my process as an art advisor is taking clients to studio visits, residencies and museums. These experiences deepen their connections with artists and their understanding of process. In Miami, I support the Fountainhead Artist Residency, the International Women’s Committee of the Perez Art Museum Miami, and the Collector’s Committee at the ICA, which all foster communities of people passionate about visual arts.
1AN: That’s amazing. Speaking of Miami and looking ahead to art fair season, even the most disciplined collectors can get caught up in the frenzy. How do you help clients stay strategic in an environment designed to spark fast, emotional, sometimes impulsive decisions?
Spring McManus: Frenzy is never the right state of mind to buy art. Art fairs can be completely overwhelming and honestly just too much. But I never want to dismiss the possibility of a “love at first sight” moment because when it aligns with knowledge, research, and context, that’s where the magic happens. My role is to slow down the frenzied pace and help clarify goals and priorities before we walk into a fair together, so decisions are rooted in the larger narrative of the collection. When a new discovery happens, we note it, follow up, research, and look again.
1AN: I like this calm, yet strategic approach. The Miami fair ecosystem has exploded between Basel, Art Miami, SCOPE, Untitled, NADA, plus countless satellites. With so many options, which fairs are worth a collector’s time?
Spring McManus: There are too many fairs and too little time. It’s impossible, and unnecessary, to see everything. I guide my clients toward a few that offer the strongest balance of quality, curation, and discovery. I focus on the fairs that consistently present strong, thoughtfully curated works: Art Basel for its museum-caliber presentations and global gallery programs, Untitled and NADA for their highly-curated selection of emerging galleries and artists, and Design Miami for the cross-disciplinary dialogue. The goal isn’t to rush through every tent; otherwise, it becomes visual overload, and nothing resonates. I always encourage a slower, more intentional experience that allows space for looking, thinking, and feeling. When you take the time to truly engage with the work, the fair transforms from a whirlwind of booths into meaningful moments on the journey of buying and collecting art.
The world of high-end contemporary art fairs is increasingly structured around distinct ecosystems. On one side we have Europe’s mature, institutionally embedded fairs (for example in Basel and Paris) where heritage galleries, museum networks, and curatorial programmes dominate. On the other side we have the U.S.-centred, commercial-scale, high-velocity fair ecosystem epitomised by Miami Art Week. Understanding the difference is critical for art advisors, collectors, galleries, and stakeholders in the moving and logistics space who service art fairs.
Europe’s Art Fairs: Tradition, Prestige, and Institutional Depth
European art fairs have long defined the global standard for excellence in the contemporary art market. Fairs like Art Baselin Switzerland and TEFAF Maastrichtin the Netherlands are steeped in legacy, bringing together blue-chip galleries, curators, and collectors who value intellectual engagement as much as financial investment.
The tone in Europe is curatorial, scholarly, and refined. Art isn’t just bought and sold, it’s contextualized. Fairs collaborate with museums, such as the Centre Pompidouand Kunstmuseum Basel, to elevate works beyond the marketplace.
Art Basel: The Benchmark for Quality
Art Basel Basel remains the global benchmark. The fair’s rigorous selection process and museum-quality presentations attract the world’s leading collectors and institutional buyers.
For participating galleries, presence at Basel signifies credibility and stability. Transactions may occur quietly behind closed doors, but the reputational impact lasts year-round. Satellite fairs like Liste Art Fair Basel extend the dialogue to emerging galleries and experimental artists, underscoring Basel’s role as both a commercial hub and a cultural incubator.
Paris: The Renaissance of a Global Capital
Since the launch of Paris+ par Art Basel, the city has re-emerged as a dynamic force in the art world. Paris offers something distinct from Basel, a mix of legacy institutions and avant-garde energy. During Paris Art Week, the entire city becomes a gallery: collectors move between the Grand Palais Éphémère, theLouvre, and independent galleries in the Marais.
This fair fosters conversation and discovery. While Basel remains the fair of commerce and hierarchy, Paris is the fair of dialogue and vision. It’s where the European art ecosystem breathes new life into collecting culture.
The European Collector Mindset
European collectors tend to play the long game. They value provenance, academic validation, and institutional relevance. Acquisitions often follow curatorial logic rather than speculation. Art advisors in Europe function as cultural translators connecting collectors with meaningful works that align with personal and philanthropic goals. The art logistics infrastructure that supports these collectors (from fine art shipping to museum-grade storage) operates with meticulous precision, often across multiple borders.
Enter Miami Art Week: Commerce Meets Culture
Next month, the art world pivots to the U.S. for Miami Art Week, a carnival of creativity that transforms the city into a marketplace of ideas and opportunity. Anchored by Art Basel Miami Beach, it draws galleries, collectors, and luxury brands from every continent. If Europe’s art fairs are about heritage, Miami is about momentum. Deals happen in real time, with advisors and galleries responding to collectors’ tastes on the fly. Energy, spectacle, and social currency dominate.
The U.S. Ecosystem: Scale, Speed, and Spectacle
Miami’s art fair ecosystem is fast-moving and commercial by design. It’s a global stage where art, design, and lifestyle converge. From Art Miami & CONTEXT, NADA and Untitled Art Fair to Scope Miami Beach, satellite events fill the city with an infectious buzz.
The atmosphere is as much about experience as acquisition. The Art Newspaper aptly described it as “a marketplace meets a festival,” where collectors seek both art and access. For art logistics professionals, it’s a sprint, packing, shipping, and installing high-value works on tight deadlines.
The Role of Art Advisors and Galleries
At Art Basel or Paris+, advisors act as curators and stewards prioritizing significance over spectacle. In Miami, art advisors such as the ones in our networkbecome negotiators and strategists, closing deals amidst an atmosphere of competition and immediacy. For galleries, participation strategy shifts too. In Europe, it’s about positioning within the canon and in Miami, it’s about capturing new collectors, brand collaborations, and cross-industry visibility. Both models are vital to the global art fair ecosystem and increasingly interconnected.
Why Art Logistics Is the Hidden Backbone of the Art World
Behind the glamour of every art fair lies an invisible infrastructure of shippers, handlers, and installers. Trusted partners manage cross-border transport, climate-controlled storage, customs, and installation logistics. Professional art logistics companies from boutique firms in Europe to white-glove services in North America play a crucial role in maintaining the flow of culture. As fairs multiply and timelines tighten, reliability and reputation become invaluable currencies.
Looking Ahead: Miami Art Week and Beyond
As Miami Art Week fast approaches, the contrast between the European and U.S. ecosystems reminds us that there is no single way to experience the global art market.
The European model prizes cultural continuity and connoisseurship; the American model celebrates accessibility, speed, and innovation. Both are essential to the ongoing vitality of contemporary art. For collectors, galleries, and logistics partners, understanding these ecosystems isn’t just strategic, it’s transformative.
Miami stands as a dynamic hub for art lovers, collectors, and creators alike. At the heart of this thriving cultural landscape is Catherine Camargo, an esteemed art advisor who agreed to sit down for a chat. She explains how, in this vibrant art scene, understanding the deeper value of art is more important than ever. In this interview, Catherine shares her insights on several compelling topics that every collector and art lover should consider.
Join us as we delve into an enlightening conversation that challenges conventional views on collecting and highlights the rich layers behind every piece of art.
1AN: Having spent years within the Margulies Collection, one of the most respected collections in the U.S., what insights do seasoned collectors have about long-term collection building that often elude newer collectors?
Catherine Camargo: It’s difficult to speak somewhat on behalf of another collector, especially one of Martin Margulies’ caliber, even after years of working closely with him. During my time at his Warehouse in Wynwood, surrounded by artworks that have defined generations of art and taste-making, I was deeply impacted not only by the collection itself but by witnessing how the simplest interactions between colleagues, collaborators, and artists can shape everything you stand for as a collector. The decisions of someone in that position can influence the trajectory of careers and, at times, entire art movements.
Beyond his discerning eye, what always struck me was his consistent presence: giving personal tours of the Warehouse, sharing lunches in our open layout office with artists he has supported for over forty years, and taking the time to explain what first drew him to a work he was considering acquiring. What has kept him so seasoned, I believe, is his lifelong curiosity for art and his genuine care for the relationships he has built with the artists and dealers who helped shape the collection as it stands today.
1AN: Sounds like a sure-fire way to assemble one of the world’s most significant collections of contemporary art! But your curatorial projects often balance minimal aesthetics with subtle political or social subversion. How can collectors identify artworks with significant cultural or conceptual weight, and why does that matter?
Catherine Camargo: I think the best way collectors, whether emerging or wise, can identify artworks with significant cultural and conceptual weight is by reflecting on their initial experience and the emotions evoked when seeing the work for the first time. There is something quite beautiful about the intangible and priceless moment of encountering a work you don’t yet understand but long for whether you long for it because it is beautiful and you want to live beside it, or because you want to hold onto the emotions it stirs in you: confusion, desire, discomfort, awe, or familiarity.
There is, in my opinion, great significance in this initial interaction between the art and the viewer. In my experience, these moments of deep connection rarely occur when encountering visuals that are immediately familiar or easily digestible. The challenge of questioning our own capacity for what is different is important, as it defines us not only in how we respond to art but also in how we engage with others; people, cultures, and beliefs. When art expands our way of seeing, it opens a space for hope and possibility. It softens rigid perceptions, allowing empathy to grow, and reminds us that transformation often begins in the small, visceral moments when we are moved to think and feel differently.
1AN: I love that! Nonetheless, some collections appear impressive but lack a cohesive point of view. From a curatorial perspective, what elevates a group of artworks into a meaningful collection with narrative and intention?
Catherine Camargo: This is often, unfortunately, true which is why I believe that collectors just beginning to dip their toes into buying art should enter the world with as much curiosity and openness as possible. While exploring which works they’d like to own, they should also be investigating themselves, taking the time to notice what they are consistently drawn to whether aesthetically or conceptually, subconscious or intentional. Sometimes, the narrative intention of a collection is found precisely within that personal realization.
If one struggles to find that internal thread, they should make an effort to look outward and speak with artists, gallerists, and advisors. Ask more questions. Have your advisor, gallerist, or friend arrange studio visits with the artists you’re considering collecting. Attend local openings and group shows to see what the contemporaries of the artists you already collect are creating. Visit the humble gallery with no signage on the second floor of an old downtown Miami building (a shameless plug for QUEUE Gallery here) simply because an artist you admire recommended it. Let go of any fear of misunderstanding or not fitting in, this may be the most subjective field in the world. The more a collector develops their own language and learns to articulate their desires when acquiring art, the more intentional and cohesive their collection will become.
Personally, I take note of the collectors who have purchased several works through me, and I find it exciting to watch their eye and language evolve with each acquisition. I often joke with my closest consistent clients about what their collection retrospectives might look like fifty years from now. Will it serve as an archive of the Miami art scene as it exists today, if their current focus remains on emerging local artists? Or will it reflect the vision of someone drawn to a particular medium or philosophy, regardless of an artist’s background? Time will tell but the relationships collectors build within the arts along the way will inevitably shape the evolution of their collections. It’s human nature. That is the only way it should be.
1AN: Agreed! So, with experience spanning exhibitions, collection management, writing, poetry, and sound, is there a tendency among collectors to focus too much on objects rather than sensory, time-based, or conceptual experiences?
Catherine Camargo: This is a question that comes up often between myself and my peers. It’s something I’ve had to confront personally in representing artists like David Correa, whose practice spans endurance-based performances, sculptures and ephemera created from their remnants, and now powerful, visually striking short films. As his gallerist, while the value of his work is clear to me, I’m constantly challenged to determine how to translate these experiences into tangible pieces that collectors and institutions can acquire. It’s difficult to sell a feeling, a reaction, or an experience.
I believe the answer lies somewhere within my previous thoughts, the importance of showing up, participating, and asking questions. Thoughtful words and reviews may hold the power to describe emotion, but nothing compares to witnessing a time-based work in person: standing among your peers in silence and awe as an artist uses their body as a tool within a performance, or sharing the stillness of a dark room as a film unfolds before you. Once you’ve felt the goosebumps of that kind of encounter, it becomes much easier to understand the value of purchasing a film edition or one of the few tangible remnants of a performance. We must keep showing up.
1AN: Speaking of showing up, how about the lack of broad gallery visibility faced by many artists from working-class or Caribbean backgrounds? What might collectors miss both culturally and financially by overlooking artists outside the traditional market system?
Catherine Camargo: The traditional market system needs a reboot. It needs to be dismantled, unlearned, and reconfigured to make room for the artists who have always existed, who have always been working, and who were rarely granted the opportunity to be discovered. And often enough, when they were historically discovered, it came with predatory consequences. Today, with social media, I believe there are very few excuses for gallerists, art fairs, and institutions to continue ignoring the talent that exists within the working-class and Caribbean diaspora.
It is the responsibility of people in positions such as my own, and anyone who holds a similar role, to make sure that artists from non-luxurious beginnings are offered a pedestal to share their work proudly and inclusively, deserving to be there rather than from a place of vulnerability or voyeurism.
There are countless reasons why collectors miss out culturally and financially by overlooking artists who fall outside the margins of the traditional market system. Culturally, collectors have the opportunity to broaden the geographical and historical reach of their collections. Decades from now, it will hold real meaning to say that the provenance of the works you own extends beyond the origin of “safe zones” of artist warehouses filled with assistants in Connecticut or Los Angeles. It will carry weight to say that a piece in your collection was created in a grandmother’s garage in Hialeah, or that its materials were sourced in Haiti, Guadeloupe, or Cuba. This is value. History is valuable, origin is valuable, and neither can be copied nor mass-produced.
Having faith in artists whose backgrounds lack a clearly defined path toward traditional success can be uncertain, even intimidating, for a collector. But it will always reveal the vision, taste, and integrity of the collector who supported the work before it was deemed desirable by market validation. For instance, imagine those who collected Miami’s iconic Purvis Young while he was still occasionally building cardboard cots to sleep on in the corners of Overtown. The pride they must carry now knowing they hold a piece of history within their living room is immeasurable. A work that may have once cost little more than the price of buying Purvis lunch for a week many moons ago has become a testament not only to his genius, but to the foresight and compassion of those who believed in him before the whole city and art world did.
In the world of art and design, where creativity meets strategy, art advisor Alana Greenberg really stood out to us. With a wealth of experience guiding private collectors and developers alike, Alana has mastered the art of elevating spaces through meaningful art integration.
We sat down to chat with Alana, as she shone a light on just how vital a role art plays in built environments. She shared how she convinces developers that art transcends mere decoration, embodying long-term value and community connection. From the insights gained through high-end hospitality projects to her thoughts on the evolving role of cultural strategists in the art advisory landscape, Alana is set to challenge traditional perceptions and inspire new approaches.
Join us for an engaging conversation with someone who’s redefining the intersection of art and architecture.
1AN: You work with developers and architects at a scale most advisors never touch. What do private collectors often misunderstand about commissioning or integrating art into built environments?
Alana Greenberg: When I’m brought into a project early during the architectural or conceptual phase there’s space to create real alchemy between the art and the environment. We’re not just filling blank walls. We’re using art to shape how a place feels its energy, its rhythm, its atmosphere. That kind of integration can completely shift how people experience a space.
Private collectors may not understand that every piece I commission is made specifically for the project and nothing is off-the-shelf. It’s a conversation between the artist, the architecture, and the story behind the site. And because of that, a deeper relationship forms between the art and the space, but also between the creator of the space and the artist who’s contributing to it.
When that alignment happens, the art doesn’t just sit in the space, it activates it. It becomes part of its memory.
1AN: That makes perfect sense. Nonetheless, commercial spaces are usually designed for function first, aesthetics second. How do you convince developers that art isn’t decoration, it’s identity and long-term value?
Alana Greenberg: In my experience, the most impactful projects happen when art is part of the overall vision. Not added at the end, but considered alongside everything else that brings a space to life. It’s about collaborating with teams that understand how powerful a single piece of art can be when it’s placed with intention and aligned with the architecture.
I’ve had the privilege of working with developers who see art as just as valuable as any other element of their project and not an accessory, but part of the foundation. When the design is strong, you don’t need much. Less is often more. The right piece in the right moment can carry the emotional weight of an entire space. It’s about sensitivity, trust, and knowing when to add and when to hold back.
1AN: I’m sure that is a delicate balance. Potentially one you are dealing with now, as you launch a major public work, The Turtle Garden, on A1A in Fort Lauderdale. What does it take to get a project like this approved, built, and brought to life and why are public artworks becoming power plays for cities and brands?
Alana Greenberg: Getting a public artwork like The Turtle Garden off the ground requires patience, vision and trust. There are design reviews, permitting processes, engineering approvals, and timelines that move at a very different pace than the art world. You’re navigating city systems while also holding space for the creative process, which means staying grounded in both structure and spirit.
I think cities and developers are aware that public art can do something traditional branding can’t. It creates connection. It brings soul to a space. When it’s done with care, a public work becomes part of the city’s identity. Something people remember, return to, and feel a relationship with.
The Turtle Garden is quiet and symbolic. It’s rooted in care for the land, for the ocean, and for the people who pass by. That kind of energy lasts. It becomes part of the landscape in a way no signage ever could.
1AN: We cannot wait to experience it for ourselves. Clearly you are an invaluable asset in transforming environments into reflections of identity and purpose. For instance, you’ve also curated at the Delano. What have luxury hotels and hospitality groups figured out about art that traditional collectors still haven’t?
Alana Greenberg: Hotels don’t just sell rooms. They sell atmosphere, memory, and feeling. The best hospitality groups understand that art is one of the most powerful ways to shape that experience. It creates mood, anchors identity, and sets the tone before a single word is spoken. It becomes part of the guest’s emotional imprint of the space.
What makes this different from traditional collecting is that it’s less about ownership and more about experience. The work must function in real time with lighting, music, architecture, scent. It’s a layered environment. And when you get the balance right, the art doesn’t just live on the wall. It holds the space.
I think hotels were ahead of the curve in realizing that art has commercial value because of its emotional impact. It turns a property into a destination. Not because someone owns it, but because people feel something when they walk through it.
1AN: You’re certainly right there… art is instrumental in creating a mood and setting a tone, just as much, if not more so, in a public setting than a private one. While most advisors work one-on-one with private clients, you operate like a cultural strategist, linking artists, developers, architects, cities, and communities. Is this the future of art advisory?
Alana Greenberg: Every client is different, and every project is its own world. That’s the beauty of this work. No two experiences are the same. Some collectors want a deeply personal, private relationship with art. Others are looking to shape public space, create legacy, or build cultural resonance on a larger scale. I move between those worlds and help translate the vision.
My role has naturally expanded over time, not because I set out to do something different, but because the projects asked for it. One day I might be walking a construction site with an architect, the next I’m in the studio with an artist talking about scale and materials. It’s less about a fixed model and more about listening to the space, to the client, to the intention behind it all.
I’ve been lucky to find my niche in this ever-evolving industry, and I’m grateful that the art I place can be enjoyed by the people whether it’s in a private home or on a public street. That kind of connection is what keeps me inspired.
In 2025, the art world finds itself in an uneasy crossroads. What once seemed a relatively frictionless system of cross-border exchange is now encountering trade walls, uncertainties, and shifting incentives. While art is not usually thought of as a “tariffed commodity,” recent policy moves, supply chain disruptions, and legal ambiguity are pushing galleries and art fairs to rethink exhibiting in the U.S. This piece unpacks the complex relationship between tariffs and the art ecosystem and why many galleries are pausing U.S. participation entirely.
The High Cost of Crossing Borders: What Tariffs Mean for the Art World
In April 2025, the Trump administration introduced a sweeping tariff initiative dubbed “Liberation Day,” which imposed a 10 % baseline duty on nearly all imports beginning April 5, along with additional, reciprocal tariffs of up to 54 % for certain countries. The move ignited immediate concern across industries—including art, antiques, and decorative arts, about which goods would be impacted, how costs would shift, and how customs authorities would interpret these rules.
At first blush, much of the art world seemed sheltered: paintings, sculptures, and works of fine art are broadly considered exempt under U.S. law (e.g. 50 U.S.C. § 1702(b)) and historical precedent of treating art differently in customs. But ambiguity, shifting policy, and surrounding cost pressures are compelling galleries to re-examine their strategies.
Why Art Is Being Treated Like a Commodity And Why That’s a Problem
One of the most confusing aspects for galleries, dealers, and collectors is precisely which items are exempt and which are not. While “fine art” is broadly understood to be exempt, many related objects such as furniture, design, decorative arts, limited editions, art + object hybrids, or even framed works with materials from abroad fall into murkier categories.
Moreover, the baseline 10 % duty (applied broadly) and the additional country-specific rates create a two-tier environment. Some galleries report that the mechanical, structural, or framing materials (metals, steel supports, aluminum, glass, external hardware) may still attract duties under “goods” classifications. In short, an artwork may be untaxed, but the path it travels crates, mounting hardware, packaging can incur fees, paperwork, or inspection delays that erode margins.
Art Fairs Under Pressure: Rising Costs Are Shrinking Participation
Art fairs operate on tight logistics schedules. Dealers ship works internationally, often rely on bonded or temporary import regimes (like ATA carnets), and must coordinate installation, insurance, and return. The introduction of new tariffs has shaken confidence in that system.
On the New York ground, dealers in Chelsea described the situation in terms of “chaos”: shippers, trade groups, and customs authorities scrambled to interpret the sudden announcements. Some galleries questioned whether returning works from fairs abroad would trigger retaliation or counter-tariff measures. The fair circuit in the U.S. is under strain not just from cost, but from unpredictability.
Galleries Are Saying “No Thanks” to U.S. Fairs
Because the cost of doing business in the U.S. has become more volatile, some galleries especially small and mid-sized boutiques are strategically opting out. Instead, they are redirecting their efforts to Canada, Latin America, Europe, or regional fairs with more stable regulatory environments.
For example, galleries that might once have shown in Miami or New York are now leaning toward exhibiting at Toronto, Mexico City, or ports like Bogotá or São Paulo. These alternative markets often offer lower overhead, fewer customs exposures, and incentives for regional participation.
Moreover, the broader environment (exchange rates, inflation, shipping disruptions) makes U.S. shows comparatively less attractive. The margin squeeze is steep if the centerpiece of your exhibition could trigger unexpected duties or bureaucratic delays.
Temporary Imports, Permanent Headaches: The ATA Carnet Dilemma
Many fairs rely on the ATA Carnet system, which allows temporary duty-free entry of exhibition goods. But even with carnets, complications arise:
Customs authorities may demand additional documentation, scrutinize classification, or delay release if the nature of the goods is ambiguous.
If extensions are needed or delays cause the carnet to expire, the temporary status can be jeopardized.
The process of repatriating works (returning them after the fair) may invite inspections or reinterpretation under new tariff rules.
Some galleries fear that an oversaturated customs environment could prompt audits, penalties, or demands for retrospective duty payment.
In a shifting tariff environment, reliance on a carnet is becoming a risk buffer not a full shield.
Insurance, Shipping, and Storage: The Hidden Chain Reaction of Tariffs
Tariffs don’t just show up as headline import duties. They ripple through the ecosystem:
Shipping and freight: Global container rates, fuel surcharges, and routing changes have already been volatile in 2025. The added tax exposure makes carriers more cautious, often increasing premiums or surcharges.
Insurance: Insurers may adjust their risk assessments when goods move through multiple jurisdictions with tariff risk. The possibility of duties being claimed after the fact in transit adds contingent liability.
Storage and warehousing: If goods are held temporarily in U.S. bonded zones or transit warehouses, assignment of risk and classification becomes more complicated.
Material costs: Many artists and galleries source raw materials, frames, hardware, or supporting elements internationally. These inputs are already being hit with tariffs, raising base production costs even before an object leaves its country of origin.
Thus, the tariff system is pushing up the “all-in” cost to exhibit in the U.S., beyond just the headline import tax.
When Tariffs Affect Relationships: Artists, Dealers, and Collectors All Lose
Because exchange and exhibition strategies are in flux, relationships in the art world are feeling strain. Artists who live or work abroad may see fewer opportunities to show in the U.S. through galleries. Dealers hesitate to take risks on emerging artists whose provenance or material sources could invite tariff ambiguities. Collectors may be deterred by additional transaction friction or cost uncertainty.
In effect, the tariff policy threatens the very infrastructure of trust, collaboration, and mobility that underpins art commerce. For artists from countries subject to higher reciprocal tariffs, their market access is impaired, even if the artwork itself remains exempt.
Who Has the Advantage Now? The Rise of Regional and Digital Fairs
As galleries rethink U.S. shows, other markets and models are stepping in:
Regional fairs (Toronto, São Paulo, Mexico City, Bogotá, Dubai) are growing in appeal. The relative ease of logistics, cultural proximity, and clearer duty regimes make them safer bets.
Hybrid/virtual fairs: Some galleries are experimenting with online viewings, streaming sales, or digital activation that reduce the need for physical transport.
Import hubs or transshipment strategies: Some galleries route works through tariff-friendly countries before final shipment, or consolidate shipments over time to amortize fixed costs.
This repositioning is not just survival, it may be a longer-term rebalancing of the global art map.
Creative Workarounds: How Galleries Are Adapting to Survive
Careful classification / tariff engineering: Ensuring works or components fall within exempt or lower-duty codes where possible.
Many of these strategies work only when the gallery has scale, legal counsel, and flexibility. Smaller players may find the barrier too steep.
So What’s Next
From our vantage, the current tariff environment is less a crisis than a stress test. Galleries with deep resources will likely adapt; mid- and small-sized dealers will struggle. Even if the artwork itself remains exempt, the cascade of shipping, insurance, classification, and regulatory risk is reshaping decisions at the margin. Over time, this may shift the gravity of the global art world away from the U.S. and toward more tariff-friendly, stable hubs.
LA’s contemporary art scene pulses with creativity, and at its heart are the city’s most insightful art advisors. These are the people who connect collectors with the works that matter, help shape collections that turn heads, and uncover voices before the rest of the world discovers them. Whether you’re building your first collection or adding museum-grade pieces to a seasoned collection, these Los Angeles-based art advisors are the guides you want to know.
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Behind Los Angeles’ vibrant art scene are advisors like Nancy Gamboa, Annie Wharton, Victoria Burns, Barbara Guggenheim, and John Wolf, each bringing a distinctive vision to collecting. They don’t just advise, they spark discoveries, uncover emerging talent, and help collectors acquire works that are culturally meaningful, visually striking, and strategically smart.
Looking to build or refine your collection? Explore our Art Advisory 101 and 201 programs, designed to give you insider knowledge and confidence in navigating the art market. For collectors ready to take the next step, join ArtCollect, our exclusive membership program connecting you with expert advisors, events, and resources to elevate your collecting journey.
Today we’re sitting down with Annie Wharton — a former exhibiting artist turned curator, before eventually launching her own gallery, then evolving into Annie Wharton Art Consulting in 2013. Phew! Based in Los Angeles, Annie has worked with everyone from first-time collectors to major developers, helping bring thoughtful, diverse art into both private and public spaces. With a deep love for emerging artists and nearly 4,000 studio visits under her belt, she’s got a unique pulse on the contemporary art world. Let’s dive into her journey, her projects, and her perspective on transitioning collections from the private to the public realm.
1AN: You’ve advised on everything from private acquisitions to large-scale public art projects. How do you tailor your approach depending on whether you’re working with an individual collector, a corporation, or a city agency?
Annie Wharton: Each project begins with a deep dive into the client’s goals: are we building upon an existing collection or creating something entirely new? What are the aesthetic, cultural, and financial priorities? What’s the timeline and context? Every client brings a unique set of constraints and ambitions, so my approach is always strategically tailored and creatively responsive.
For private collectors, the process tends to be more intimate and conversational. It’s about uncovering what resonates on a personal level and then shaping a collection that reflects their evolving interests, values, and worldview. These clients tend to be closely involved in artist selection, and I love facilitating that process where it becomes a collaborative and deeply creative exchange.
With corporate clients, I partner with architects, designers, and leadership teams to ensure the work reflects the company’s ethos and enhances the built environment. These projects require a special sensitivity to the client’s identity, spatial context, and stakeholder consensus.
Public art introduces an entirely different matrix of considerations: community engagement, site specificity, municipal review processes, fabrication logistics, and longer timelines. Across all sectors, my role is part curator, part strategist, and part translator, ensuring each decision is grounded in aesthetic intelligence and logistical precision.
An installation entitled Ocean Ions by Christian Sampson at Laguna Art Museum. Photo courtesy of Laguna Art Museum
1AN: I believe it! No doubt that public art projects, like the one at San Jose Airport or the Brooklyn school, involve a high degree of coordination and creativity. What’s the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of managing projects of this scale and visibility?
Annie Wharton: Public art is one of the most complex yet rewarding aspects of my practice. These projects invite artists to think on an architectural or infrastructural scale and ask them to consider how their work interacts with public space, civic identity, and community engagement, while at the same time meeting the technical and logistical demands of the built environment.
Annie Wharton with artist Krysten Cunningham and her Little Wing installation at LAX Airport, Los Angeles. Photo credit: Andrei Brauner-Guzman
Projects often require multi-year timelines and the coordination of numerous stakeholders, including the organization’s staff, fabricators, artists, architects, and community members. It is important to protect the integrity of artist vision while navigating bureaucratic and logistical complexities with precision. It’s also vital to bring detailed knowledge of materials, fabrication techniques, permitting requirements, and stakeholder engagement strategies. All of these things are necessary to move public art projects from concept to completion and expand the artist’s oeuvre beyond any production limitations they may have within their studio.
The opportunity to create something that’s integrated into daily life is particularly fulfilling. Art that’s not sequestered within a white cube but is encountered unexpectedly, shaping how people move through and understand their environment. It democratizes access and sparks dialogue across audiences who may not otherwise engage with contemporary art. Seeing an artwork live in space, inspire curiosity, and become part of a city’s visual vocabulary is extraordinary.
1AN: Makes sense. And as for your private clients, I understand that many are not only acquiring for personal enjoyment but also thinking about long-term impact. How do you help collectors navigate the transition from acquiring for their homes to shaping a collection that could one day enter the public realm whether through loans, gifts, or legacy planning?
Years of close collaboration with artists and institutions have sharpened my instinct for identifying practices with lasting cultural and historical relevance beyond current market trends. That instinct is essential when advising clients who are shifting their focus from personal enjoyment to long-term legacy.
My work is always guided by a focus on quality of work and future relevance. Whether a client is just starting to collect or has an established collection of works, I help them clarify their curatorial objectives to find where narratives emerge and how those stories might evolve in dialogue with future audiences or institutions.
When that structure is in place, we can begin thinking strategically for the long term and most clients want to be very hands-on in shaping this trajectory. An art consultant can serve as both a strategic partner and cultural steward, helping to ensure that their investments appreciate materially and the collection evolves in meaningful ways. At its best, collecting can be a form of cultural authorship, a symphony composed of many parts.
1AN: Speaking of cultural authorship, how do you work with private collectors to support artists beyond purchasing work — for example, through private commissions or public projects?
Annie Wharton: Collectors who are interested in supporting artists beyond the acquisition of finished works also have an opportunity to participate in the creative process in an impactful way. This kind of engagement begins with conversations about intent. Sometimes it starts with a client who loves an artist’s work and wants them to create a site-specific installation for their new home or business. We ensure that those commissioning understand the artist’s conceptual framework, materials, and ambitions.
Once this foundation is established, a kind of reverse engineering is required to ensure a smooth development of the project’s scope and goals within the artwork site and available resources. This can look as simple as contracting an artist to create work in their style (I’d never ask an artist to alter their established visual or conceptual framework), but on a larger scale or to perfectly fit a specific space.
We also work with artists to create schemas for work and then bring in architects, fabricators, engineers, tile or stained-glass specialists, welders…whatever is needed to actualize the artists’ vision.
A thoughtfully executed commission or underwritten public art project allows commissioners to expand their comprehension of the creative process and assume the role of both custodian and peripheral participant in the way art is made, seen, and understood. This kind of patronage surpasses the transactional and moves toward a model of long-term investment in cultural production.
This installation was a commission for a client where the artist created a mashup of the family’s architectural favorites – Kim Schoenstadt’s Exercise in Perspective #4, 2022, Private Collection, Los Angeles. Photo credit: Ruben Diaz
1AN: You’re currently leading projects across California, Florida, and New York. Are you seeing regional differences in what clients are looking for, either aesthetically or strategically, when it comes to building a contemporary art collection?
Annie Wharton: My work is anchored by a commitment to quality, integrity, and long-term vision. But yes, geography does help to shape how clients engage with contemporary art. Distinctions of place, market trends, and sometimes even climate can influence aesthetic preferences, the tempo of decision-making, or the philosophical framework clients bring to collecting.
That said, across California, Florida, and New York, the most consistent throughline is an appreciation for artwork that has conceptual rigor, emotional resonance, and the capacity to contribute meaningfully to broader cultural conversations. These are nuanced dialogues, often rooted in both historical awareness and forward-looking philanthropic goals.
My job is to interpret and navigate the multiplicity of differences in terrain. I try to introduce clients to artists whose practices can be universally appreciated.
Today, we had the pleasure of speaking with Victoria Burns, a renowned art advisor with over three decades of experience in the international art market.Known for her thoughtful and strategic approach, Victoria has earned a stellar reputation for guiding both new and seasoned collectors in building art collections that reflect their personal vision. An expert in modern and contemporary art, she collaborates with leading galleries to connect clients with works ranging from historically significant blue-chip pieces to cutting-edge works by the next generation of emerging artists. Beyond her work in the market, Victoria is deeply passionate about arts institutions and the cultural fabric of Los Angeles. She is the co-founder of Angeles Art Fund, a giving circle that supports artists and arts nonprofits advancing socially impactful projects in the LA-area.We’re honored to have the opportunity to discuss her insights into the art world.
Rupy C. Tut “A Natural Thought” (2025) installed in a client’s Los Angeles home.
1AN:Over the course of your 30-year career, what consistent qualities have you seen in collectors who build the most meaningful and lasting collections?
Victoria Burns: Passion, curiosity, engagement, and risk taking. The collectors who build the most meaningful collections fall in love with not only the art they acquire, but also the process of looking, and remain engaged for many years. They look at being connected to art as an important part of everyday life. Reading about it, visiting museums, galleries and even building travel around opportunities to view and learn about art. They are curious and open-minded about the many ways artists express their ideas and love being challenged by new ideas. They also must be willing to take risks. Sometimes those risks are financial, making a quick decision under pressure to secure a piece, or paying a little more than they expected because they love the work, and sometimes the risk is installing pieces in unusual ways.
Diedrick Brackens, Andy Warhol, El Anatsui, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Tony Smith, and Marino Marini installed in a client’s Chicago living room.
1AN: True, although sometimes taking risks is particularly difficult for new collectors entering the market today. What’s your advice to them on navigating a saturated art world while staying true to a personal vision?
Victoria Burns: For new collectors entering today’s saturated art market, my first piece of advice is simple: make time to look. Visit galleries, museums, fairs, and studios to train your eye and develop your own perspective. Over time, you’ll discover what truly resonates whether it’s a particular medium, style, or conceptual approach.
Collecting should begin with curiosity and personal engagement. There’s no substitute for seeing art in person and learning what moves you. Working with an advisor can help focus your vision, provide context, and connect you to trusted dealers, relevant artists, and movements of interest. We also maintain a robust, global artist and gallery database to help identify rising talent and guide new collectors through a focused, informed journey.
You don’t need a large budget to begin, just a commitment to acquiring the best you can afford, even if it’s one piece per year. Over time, these thoughtful purchases form a cohesive, meaningful collection.
Faith Wilding and Rose B. Simpson installed in a client’s Park City, Utah home.
1AN:You would know, as you work with both private and institutional clients. How does your process shift when advising a public-facing collection versus a private one?
Victoria Burns: My process differs when advising public versus private collections. With institutions, especially those with multiple decision-makers in an art committee, reaching consensus can be complex. I focus on creating educational presentations to inform them about artists and how art can engage diverse audiences, emphasizing how collections reflect culture and impact constituents rather than purely investing. With private collectors, the approach is highly personalized. I analyze their home’s design, ask questions about their interests, values, and background to understand their tastes. Some clients quickly provide feedback, allowing me to refine selections, while others need guidance to articulate what they dislike, which helps build their confidence and trust. A private collection is an extension of the individual or a couple, reflecting their passions and life story. Building long-term relationships allows me to better understand each client, resulting in more meaningful and personalized collections over time.
Nick Cave “Hustle Coat” (2015) installed in a client’s Los Angeles residence. (photo credit: Laura Hull)
1AN: That makes perfect sense.You’ve developed collections in diverse cities across the U.S. from Telluride to Miami to Chicago. How do regional influences or client lifestyles shape your curatorial approach in different locations?
Victoria Burns: While I wouldn’t describe the collections I’ve developed as “regional,” a client’s location and lifestyle often inform curatorial choices in subtle but meaningful ways. I encourage collectors to think globally, but regional context can shape themes or mediums for both practical and emotional reasons. For instance, in Utah, one collection focuses on environmental and landscape themes, executed not through predictable mountain-home aesthetics, but via internationally recognized artists exploring nature, materiality, and climate in conceptually rigorous ways. This includes artists like Rose B. Simpson, Abel Rodríguez, Faith Wilding, and Brie Ruais. Practical considerations also play a role: in Los Angeles, with its intense natural light, we tend to favor paintings and sculpture to better preserve the work. In contrast, during the 1990s in Chicago, I placed a great deal of photography. Ultimately, my curatorial approach is guided by a client’s vision, the realities of their space, and a desire to engage them with thoughtful, globally relevant art.
1AN:Looking ahead, what trends or shifts in collecting are you most excited about and how are you preparing your clients to respond thoughtfully to those changes?
Victoria Burns: Each generation brings a fresh perspective to collecting. Many are passionate about supporting contemporary artists of their time, but one on-going trend is to collect the work of women artists who tend to be undervalued in the market. In addition, I see more important art historical work coming onto the market as older generations start deaccessioning. There will be some real acquisition opportunities in the next 5-10 years which we will be sharing with our clients. A thoughtful balance between past and present strengthens a collection’s cultural and financial significance. Above all, collecting should be driven by passion, true appreciation is the foundation of lasting value.
For today’s collectors, art isn’t just something that goes on the wall once the room is furnished, it’s the starting point. In many luxury homes, commercial spaces, and hospitality projects, artwork is now considered a foundational element of interior architecture.
That’s where the collaboration between art advisors and interior designers comes in. When these two worlds converge, collectors benefit from deeply informed decisions that merge emotional connection, market intelligence, and design harmony.
At One Art Nation, we regularly explore how collecting and curating go hand-in-hand with modern design practices. This evolution is not just aesthetic, it’s strategic. To enrich this conversation, we spoke with seasoned New York-based art advisor Laura Solomon of Laura Solomon Fine Art who has worked closely with high-level collectors, designers, and artists for over three decades. Known for her strategic eye and collaborative spirit, Laura shares insights from her experience at the intersection of art and interior design.
Why Collectors Should Involve an Advisor Early
Many seasoned collectors already work with art advisors to help them build meaningful, valuable collections. But involving an advisor early in a design or renovation project especially in collaboration with a designer, adds a new layer of intentionality.
An advisor ensures that the artwork chosen reflects both the client’s collecting goals and the broader market context. Meanwhile, the designer helps integrate the piece into the space with precision and care. It’s not just about beauty, it’s about legacy, balance, and long-term vision.
“A successful collaboration comes from ongoing conversation; the designer drives the aesthetics, and the advisor understands how the art can greatly impact and elevate the space,” says Laura Solomon. Every acquisition reflects the clients’ individual vision. Having an advisor with interior design fluency adds tremendous value by blending that vision with that of the designer for maximum effect.
A Collector’s Home as a Curated Environment
The most successful private collections aren’t confined to galleries or storage. They live in the home, engaging with family and guests daily. Advisors help collectors shape interiors that feel personal and alive, without sacrificing the historical or market integrity of the artwork.
Whether it’s a masterwork that commands a room or a subtle piece meant to harmonize with natural textures and light, the collaborative process ensures the home becomes a living gallery, not a museum.
The Art of Emotional and Market Value
Every collector knows the dual tension of acquiring work they love and work that holds long-term value. Advisors navigate that space every day, filtering options through both a personal and professional lens.
In collaboration with a designer, that same filter is applied to the space itself. The result? Pieces that not only appreciate in value but feel right in situ, elevating the everyday experience of the collector. This is exactly the kind of insight offered by industry professionals featured on One Art Nation, where we highlight how to balance emotional and financial returns when collecting.
“Market value is always a factor, but the emotional connection comes first,” says Solomon. “Trends fluctuate and the constant must be the joy you get from living with the art you own.”
When Contemporary Art and Classical Spaces Collide
One exciting design approach gaining traction is using contemporary works in classically designed spaces. For instance, placing a bold, abstract piece in a Georgian-style home can spark a dialogue between past and present.
“In a client’s very traditional Music Room inside the historic McKim and White building, once home to the Guggenheim family, I installed Matisse’s Jazz portfolio of twenty works across all four walls,” says Solomon. “The explosion of color and movement completely transforms the space.”
This mix of eras and styles keeps a collection dynamic and offers a fresh take on both the artwork and its setting. Many advisors now encourage clients to think in contrasts where opposites attract to create visual intrigue and deeper appreciation.
Art in Commercial and Hospitality Projects
Collectors aren’t the only ones benefitting from this synergy. Corporate and hospitality environments are increasingly investing in fine art that reflects their brand ethos and clientele.
From boutique hotels that want to offer guests an immersive cultural experience, to law firms that want to project confidence and modernity, art plays a key role in shaping perception. Advisors who understand these nuances ensure every selection contributes to the space’s energy and purpose.
Art Placement: More Science Than You’d Think
Installing art isn’t just a matter of eye-level hanging, it’s a carefully orchestrated process. An advisor considers light exposure, scale, viewer experience, and security. The designer considers materials, textures, and spatial harmony.
Together, they create placement plans that elevate both the art and the space, while preserving the artwork for generations. It’s not uncommon for a work to completely transform once properly lit and framed within its environment.
“The importance of choosing art that supports a room’s function is often overlooked,” notes Solomon. “For bedrooms or studies, I select calm, contemplative works; for kitchens or offices, bright, energizing pieces.”
Art collecting is, at its heart, a long-term endeavor. By collaborating with advisors and designers, collectors can ensure that their spaces evolve alongside their collections, not in conflict with them.
That might mean planning for future acquisitions, building in flexibility for new media or larger works, or adapting a lighting system to handle rotating exhibitions. Advisors act as a strategic partner, not just a sourcing agent.
Designing a space without considering the art is a missed opportunity. Likewise, collecting art without planning its placement risks diminishing its power. When collectors work with both a designer and advisor in tandem, they benefit from dual expertise: one rooted in space, the other in substance.
This collaboration ensures that every choice from palette to purchase is aligned with a shared goal: to create a timeless, inspired environment that reflects the collector’s vision. At the end of the day, your interior is an extension of your collection—and your collection is a reflection of your values, interests, and identity. That’s why curating with care matters.
“A seasoned advisor can integrate new works seamlessly, sometimes by re-installing existing pieces,” she explains. “Clients love seeing their ‘old’ art in a fresh location to make room for new acquisitions.”
Advisors and designers who work closely together offer a holistic approach to collecting. It’s not just about what to buy, but how to live with it. How it feels. How it fits. And how it grows with you.
Final Thoughts
In the modern art world, collaboration is everything. The partnership between art advisors and designers doesn’t just create more beautiful homes, it creates smarter, more intentional collections. Whether you’re sourcing for a private residence, corporate headquarters, or luxury hotel, bringing these two disciplines together ensures your investment in art resonates far beyond the walls it hangs on.
To connect with art advisors, designers, and collectors shaping today’s most compelling interiors, visit One Art Nation, your global resource for art education, expertise, and community.
Having had John Wolfparticipate in past panels and discussions, we quickly learned that we love his philosophy on art. He believes the primary focus of a collection is the passion, intellectual curiosity, and respect for the artwork.
John specializes in taking the extra time to demystify and educate clients about all aspects of the art market. Outside of traditional art advisory & brokerage, he consults the interior design trade and curates exhibitions. We’ve always kept abreast of what he’s up to and determined it was finally time to sit down and catch up with him properly. Here’s how that went…
1AN: You’ve built your reputation on demystifying the art world for your clients. What are some of the most common misconceptions new collectors have about the art market, and how do you help them move past those?
John Wolf: One of the most common misconceptions new collectors bring to the table is the idea that the art market functions like other asset classes—linear, logical, and price-transparent. In reality, it’s far more nuanced. Many assume there’s a fixed formula to value, or that hype equals longevity, when in fact, the true worth of a work lies at the intersection of historical context, institutional support, and cultural relevance.
Another misconception is that collecting is purely transactional, about acquiring objects, when, at its best, it’s about building a relationship with art that reflects personal identity, curiosity, and legacy. I help clients shift from a scarcity mindset (“Will I miss out?”) to one rooted in discernment and meaning.
My role is to act as a bridge: translating the opaque language of the art world into something transparent, grounded, and strategic so that collecting becomes not just informed, but deeply fulfilling.
1AN: True, informed collecting is not only important for private collectors, but also for institutions and corporations, all of whom you work with. How does your advisory process shift depending on the client’s goals?
John Wolf: While the core of my advisory process, thoughtful curation, deep market insight, and strategic foresight, remains consistent, the emphasis shifts depending on the client’s goals.
For private collectors, it’s often about alignment with personal identity, legacy, and emotional resonance. The process becomes intimate, intuitive, and deeply collaborative. We explore not just what they want to collect, but why, uncovering the values and narratives they want reflected in their collection.
For institutions, the approach is more research-driven and mission-aligned. It involves curatorial dialogue, public engagement considerations, and often navigating acquisitions with an eye toward historical significance and educational impact.
With corporations, the strategy centers on brand alignment, space activation, and stakeholder perception. Here, art becomes a vehicle for storytelling, corporate identity, and cultural investment.
Ultimately, I adapt by listening deeply and aligning with the client’s broader vision whether that’s cultural stewardship, personal enrichment, or brand elevation, while bringing access, expertise, and clarity at every step.
1AN: What’s your advice for collectors looking to build a collection that’s not only visually striking, but also deeply personal and enduring over time?
John Wolf: First off, forget trying to impress anyone. If you’re building a collection just to look cool or check some boxes, it’s going to feel empty real fast. The best collections, the ones that actually matter, start with what moves you. Not what’s trending, not what your neighbor just bought. What hits you in the gut? What makes you stop and think, “What the hell is this… and why can’t I stop looking at it?”
Collecting art isn’t about playing it safe. It’s about taste, risk, and owning your point of view. So yeah, go for pieces that are visually powerful but also make sure they mean something to you. Not every piece needs to match the rug.
And here’s the kicker: a truly personal collection? It ages with you. It becomes this mirror of your growth, your obsessions, your evolution. That’s where the real value is, not just in resale, but in resonance.
1AN: I love that! And speaking of matching your art to the rug or not, you also frequently collaborate with interior designers. What’s your approach to ensuring that artwork complements a space without compromising its integrity as a stand-alone piece?
John Wolf: I really lean on the experience, talent and wisdom the designer is bringing to the project while aligning my own leadership on the topic of art and how our collaborative energy can create phenomenal results. The key is to curate with intention, not decoration. I work closely with designers to understand the spatial flow, natural light, and tonal palette, while simultaneously considering the conceptual and material weight of the artwork. Rather than matching art to a sofa, we’re looking to create moments of contrast, harmony, or dialogue, where the piece feels not just appropriate, but inevitable.
It’s about balance: honoring the autonomy of the art while allowing it to amplify the soul of the space. When done right, the artwork doesn’t blend in, it deepens the experience of being in the room.
1AN: Makes sense! And as someone active in the LA art scene and involved with LACMA, what excites you most about the role of West Coast collectors and institutions in shaping the global art conversation?
John Wolf: What excites me most about West Coast collectors and institutions is their willingness to challenge tradition and embrace experimentation. Los Angeles, in particular, operates with a certain fluidity free from the rigid hierarchies of older art capitals which allows for more inclusive narratives, risk-taking, and cross-cultural dialogue.
Collectors here are less concerned with pedigree for its own sake and more focused on relevance, vision, and impact. There’s a generational shift happening toward collecting with conscience, curiosity, and a desire to shape culture rather than simply inherit it
Institutions like LACMA, MOCA, and The Broadare leaning into that energy, expanding their curatorial frameworks to reflect the diversity and dynamism of the city itself. As a result, LA is no longer just responding to the global art conversation, it’s helping define it. The West Coast isn’t on the periphery; it’s becoming the pulse.
Nancy Gamboa is an art advisor based in Los Angeles whose boutique advisory focuses on establishing collections with sustained cultural, critical and market significance. She is known for guiding private collectors through individual acquisitions while maintaining a larger vision for their holdings. With expertise spanning emerging to blue chip contemporary art and historic works, Nancy’s LA perspective and global outlook has established her international presence.
In this conversation, we explore her insights on the secondary art market, the cornerstones of her advisory practice, and what she believes makes for a greater cultural and philanthropic impact.
1AN: Your advisory practice focuses on collections with lasting cultural, critical, and market significance. How do you define those qualities when evaluating a potential acquisition for a client?
Nancy Gamboa: Discernment and alignment are key in evaluating potential acquisitions. I look beyond market trends to consider how an artwork resonates culturally, in its ability to shape or reflect broader societal conversation; critically as evidenced by institutional and scholarly engagement, and in terms of market, reflected in commercial viability and long-term value retention. For each client, I align these factors with their personal tastes and collecting goals to ensure that acquisitions hold meaning both in relation to the collector and as part of the evolving discourse on art. This holistic approach maximizes the potential for each acquisition to maintain relevance on multiple levels.
Nancy Gamboa
1AN: Speaking of multiple levels, you’ve cultivated deep knowledge of the Los Angeles art scene while maintaining a global reach. How does your regional insight enrich your advisory work on an international scale?
Nancy Gamboa: Living and working in Los Angeles during a critical period in its development into a globally recognized art nexus has underscored for me the importance of physical landscape, community, and ecosystem in shaping artistic production and engagement. These physical and cultural topographies, informed by the network of artists, institutions, curators, collectors, galleries, auction houses, and artist-run spaces, give a city its cultural identity. In an art world where travel is essential, attunement to place allows me to contextualize artworks within their local milieu, while offering my clients a nuanced, global perspective as they consider acquisitions across diverse geographies.
1AN: You work with everything from site-specific sculpture to time-based media to historic objects. How do you help clients expand their comfort zones while maintaining curatorial cohesion within their collections?
Nancy Gamboa: My advising process begins with a dialogue, educating my clients about art while listening closely to what resonates with them on a personal and aesthetic level. Together, we identify a focus for their collection, which serves as a unifying framework for future acquisitions. With this foundation in place, I guide my clients toward works that not only align with their focus but also challenge and expand it, introducing new media, ideas, and historical contexts to create collections that are deeply personal and dynamic both visually and intellectually.
Artwork placed; Carmen Herrera, Untitled Estructura (Green), 2007/2016, Acrylic and aluminium
1AN: You’re deeply involved in philanthropic art initiatives, including overseeing museum loans and producing limited editions with artists. How do you guide collectors in aligning their collecting with greater cultural or philanthropic impact?
Nancy Gamboa: I offer my clients opportunities for philanthropic engagement that reflect their collecting goals and values while allowing them to take the lead on what feels aligned with their interests and ability to participate. This can take the form of exhibition loans, supporting nonprofit art initiatives, joining museum acquisition committees and patron groups, or providing institutional support through gifts and financial contributions. In working with collectors and nonprofit institutions, I’ve experienced firsthand how philanthropic engagement bridges collecting with broader cultural impact. This impact can occur at multiple levels, from an emerging artist benefiting from an exhibition loan or museum gift, to improved outcomes for communities in need, to setting a new standard for civic engagement, or providing the public with the opportunity to engage with work previously available to a rarefied few.
1AN: The secondary market is a key component of your practice. What are some of the challenges and opportunities in sourcing and placing works at this level, and how do you navigate the nuances of discretion, provenance, and timing?
Nancy Gamboa: Discretion, diligence, and an unwavering fiduciary duty to my clients are the cornerstones of my advisory practice. I leverage every available resource, including galleries, private dealers, auction houses, institutions, and artist estates, to secure exceptional works of art for my clients. The secondary market allows for greater agility in responding to market volatility, access to rare and targeted works, enhanced negotiation opportunities on behalf of my clients, and direct deaccessioning options. Confirming provenance, ensuring appropriate pricing, and assessing condition are non-negotiable baseline requirements for any acquisition. Equally, maintaining a robust network and staying deeply attuned to market conditions and timing are essential elements that enable me to optimize outcomes for my clients at every stage.
Barbara Guggenheimhas spent decades at the intersection of art, culture, and commerce, establishing herself as one of LA’s most influential art advisors. With her keen eye for emerging talent and understanding of historical importance and market dynamics, she has guided collectors, institutions, and artists through the complex landscape of contemporary art. From her early days working alongside legendary dealers to building her own advisory practice, Barbara has witnessed firsthand the transformation of the art world. So naturally, we were eager to chat with her!
In this conversation, we explore how her advisory approach has evolved alongside the art market’s transformations. Barbara shares insights on the most common pitfalls facing new collectors and delves into the notable shifts she’s observed in the next generation of collectors…….
1AN: With decades of experience advising some of the world’s most discerning collectors, how has your approach evolved as the art market itself has transformed from private gallery sales to auction houses and now online platforms?
Barbara Guggenheim: Keeping up with the changes in the art world and art market is a full-time job. You’d think that if you bought a work by an artist and that has the whole art world, curators, collectors, critics, and dealers, behind him or her you would have made a wise investment. Even if the prices break records, it doesn’t mean you’re safe. In a matter of months those prices can plummet, and the art world moves on to the next new artist. To avoid the pitfalls of following others off a cliff, and to navigate the serpentine ways of the art market, it makes sense to engage an art advisor.The little that they charge can save you from making mistakes and help you to make decisions from strength of knowledge.
1AN: Your book, Art World: The New Rules of the Game, is considered essential reading for collectors. If you had to update one “rule” today based on current market dynamics, what would it be and why?
Barbara Guggenheim: If there’s one rule, it’s to decide what your goal is. Some people buy for fun, and if you want to buy for fun, you have to define what your limit of “fun money” is. If you expect to make money, I doubt that the strategy of a quick return works as well now as it has in the past several years. You have to be willing to take a position and hold long term. Masterpieces have always appreciated over time, and I think that that’s the area where smart money is going now. Take Picasso for example, for decades he’s been an artist with a steady demand and large supply. That means that at any given time, a Picasso painting may come up at auction, like the one you’ve bought and, therefore, you don’t need to sell to know the value of your own Picasso. The same goes for Warhol, although I’m not sure his market will continue as it has since the younger generation of collectors don’t even know who Warhol’s major sitters were, such as Elizabeth Taylor. Since they’ve been brought up in the digital age, many don’t understand the significance of Warhol’s commentary on the printing techniques in his art.
When Art Becomes Your Life
1AN: For new collectors who may feel overwhelmed by the complexities of the art world, what are the most common pitfalls you help them avoid? And how do you build their confidence in making their first acquisitions?
Barbara Guggenheim: In acquiring art, you have to look everywhere and be ready to buy anywhere; galleries, private dealers, auction houses, and collectors. In the past few years, new buyers couldn’t just walk into a gallery cold and buy what they wanted. There were waiting lines for hot artists and the galleries could sell them to their longtime clients or established collectors. To get what they wanted, new buyers would have to turn to auctions. If you wanted something and others like you wanted the same work, a battle would ensue, and you’d likely have to pay more than gallery retail prices. That’s why private dealers have a place in the art world. Because they have relationships with collectors and get works that the owners don’t want to put up for auction and don’t want the art world to know they’re selling, they’re a good source. If you don’t know who they are, or which are reliable, working with an experienced art advisor cuts through all of that. It’s important to distinguish between an experienced art advisor and anyone who just hangs up a shingle and calls themself an art advisor.
1AN:Beyond the initial acquisition, what makes it essential for collectors to consider long-term care and strategy such as restoration, insurance, and resale, and how does Barbara Guggenheim Associates support clients throughout this full lifecycle?
Barbara Guggenheim: Lots of people buy works of living artists from the galleries which represent those artists. In that case, there’s no need to do any due diligence. Once a work surfaces again on the marketplace (called the secondary market), one must do the necessary due diligence like checking authenticity, condition and provenance if possible. You may be given a fact sheet that says a painting belonged to the Prince of so-and-so, that’s hard to verify. If possible, one has to compare what you’ve been given with the catalogue rasionné, or the people who’ve written the catalogue, or the artist’s principal dealer, to make sure the painting you’re buying matches historical records. A condition report must be made by a restorer who works on paintings like the one you’re considering. For example, a conservator who works on Old Master paintings, which often have considerable damage, may proclaim your Ellsworth Kelly with only one scratch in it as a work in good condition. By contrast, a restorer specializing in contemporary art will look at the same Kelly with the same scratch and will consider that the single scratch would render the painting in fair condition. That would persuade any prospective buyer not to buy the work.
1AN: In advising everyone from YPO members to multigenerational family offices, what notable shifts have emerged in how the next generation approaches collecting compared to their predecessors?
Barbara Guggenheim: There’s nothing like collecting and living with art to enhance your life. Collectors often start when they buy a new house and need paintings for empty walls. Others start with a wealth event or are parents who need to share something as a hobby. Believe it or not, art collecting has kept couples together more than anything I can think of! Living with art not only has a profound impact on collectors, but also their children who learn to share their parents’ passion. I’ve worked with lots of YPO parents, and then their children later. I’ve also spoken at many NextGen conferences and advised the children of collector parents to advise what to keep and what to sell when dealing with their parent’s estates.
The art world has always been a space where tradition meets innovation. On one side, collectors chase masterpieces with centuries of provenance. On the other, artists, advisors, and institutions continuously adopt new tools and technologies to remain relevant and responsive to a rapidly shifting cultural and economic landscape.
In 2025, the biggest technological shake-up to hit the art market is coming from artificial intelligence. At Art Basel 2025, the buzz wasn’t just around blue-chip sales, it was around AI-powered toolsthat promise to revolutionize how collectors make decisions. From instant pricing insights to data-driven authentication support, AI is positioning itself as the art collector’s new secret weapon.
What Is AI Actually Doing for Collectors?
Artificial intelligence in the art market primarily refers to the use of machine learning and big data to support collecting decisions. This includes tracking artist momentum, evaluating historical sales performance, and estimating value. Platforms such as Artrendex and Limna are offering real-time dashboards that help collectors evaluate artworks, identify under-the-radar talent, and compare pricing with an efficiency that would’ve been unthinkable just five years ago.
Let’s say you’re interested in acquiring a painting by an emerging artist who’s recently had shows in Berlin and Los Angeles. With AI, you can quickly review their auction performance, media coverage, gallery representation, and even stylistic comparisons to more established artists, all in a matter of seconds. These tools don’t just speed up the decision-making process, they bring a level of strategic rigor that many collectors find reassuring in a fast-paced, often opaque market.
Why Speed and Scale Matter More Than Ever
Collectors today are navigating a market where availability can disappear with a single phone call. In the past, advisors and clients had days, sometimes weeks, to decide on an acquisition. Now, hesitation can mean missing out altogether. AI helps collectors act faster with greater confidence. For new collectors in particular, it offers a sense of empowerment, allowing them to gain clarity and insight without relying solely on instinct or hearsay.
This isn’t just about convenience. It’s about building smarter collections. AI tools can spot trends, monitor price volatility, and even flag red flags in provenance records, all while collectors focus on curating works that resonate emotionally or conceptually. In this way, artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an essential part of the contemporary collector’s toolkit.
But Can AI Replace the Human Eye?
Despite all the advantages AI brings to the table, it’s important to recognize what it can’t do. Emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and aesthetic discernment remain the domain of experienced collectors, advisors, and curators. AI may be able to process millions of data points, but it can’t understand why a particular piece brings you joy or why a small brushstroke in a late-period painting might signal a shift in an artist’s thinking.
It also struggles with physical condition. Many AI systems rely on image recognition, but they can’t assess texture, surface quality, or subtle signs of restoration. Nor can they truly interpret cultural context or artistic intent. A powerful AI algorithm might be able to identify a trend, but it won’t grasp the emotional weight of a political piece created in response to a specific moment in history.
This is why most professionals see AI as an enhancement not a replacement. It’s a brilliant assistant, but not the curator.
Cracking Provenance with Machine Learning
One of the most compelling applications of AI in the art world lies in provenance research. By scanning databases, digitized catalogs, auction archives, and academic literature, AI can help map an artwork’s ownership history more quickly and thoroughly than ever before. For collectors buying on the secondary market, this kind of due diligence is invaluable.
However, even here, limitations exist. Not every record has been digitized, and private sales or transfers from earlier eras are often missing from publicly accessible databases. AI can identify patterns and fill in some blanks, but when key documents are tucked away in an old family archive or a dealer’s ledger from the 1960s, nothing replaces human research and relationships.
How Collectors Are Actually Using AI
More seasoned collectors are integrating AI into their overall collecting strategy, not as the ultimate authority, but as a way to add another layer of insight. It’s often used during the early stages of research, helping collectors narrow their options and focus on artists or works with momentum and value potential.
Some use AI to review their own collections—, potting patterns they hadn’t considered or uncovering new connections between artists, periods, or movements. Others rely on it for risk assessment, particularly when stepping into unfamiliar segments of the market. The key is in knowing where the data ends and where personal conviction begins.
Implications for Advisors, Galleries, and Auction Houses
Advisors are increasingly turning to AI platforms to support recommendations with hard data, particularly when working with clients who are analytically minded or investment-driven. Galleries are using AI to better price emerging talent and to prepare for increasingly sophisticated collectors who arrive with data in hand. Auction houses are even using AI tools internally to refine their sales strategies and estimate results.
For all of these players, the takeaway is the same: the art world is getting smarter. And collectors who embrace that shift while still trusting their instincts are likely to stay ahead.
Looking Forward: What’s Next for AI in Art?
The future of AI in the art world is bright and growing more sophisticated by the day. Expect to see more platforms integrating AI-powered valuation alongside blockchain-backed provenance. As the market continues to globalize, tools that can scan dozens of languages and international markets will become invaluable.
Predictive analytics may also play a greater role, offering forward-looking insights on artists’ trajectories based on exhibition history, press coverage, and collector behavior. And for those focused on building a long-term legacy, these insights will help shape portfolios that are both meaningful and resilient.
AI is not a silver bullet, but it is a powerful tool. For collectors looking to refine their decision-making, expand their knowledge base, and reduce risk, the right AI tools offer incredible value. But as with every major shift in the art world, the smartest collectors will strike a balance, leveraging technology while remaining grounded in personal intuition, emotional resonance, and expert human advice.
In the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary art, the right advisor can mean the difference between a good collection and a legacy-defining one. New York City, a global art capital, is home to some of the most trusted and visionary professionals in the field. These advisors don’t just facilitate acquisitions, they shape taste, preserve heritage, and bring nuance to collecting in a fast-paced, hyper-visual world.
From curating private exhibitions to navigating institutional relationships, they operate at the intersection of culture, commerce, and care. In this series, we sit down with five standout figures who are redefining what it means to guide, protect, and expand a collector’s vision. Through their insights, we gain access to the philosophies, values, and strategies shaping the collections of today and the legacies of tomorrow.
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ADVISING THE FUTURE: SHAPING CULTURE ONE COLLECTION AT A TIME
As we’ve seen through these intimate conversations, the art advisor’s role today goes far beyond transactions. It’s about vision. It’s about values. And most importantly, it’s about trust. The advisors featured in this series are not only shaping some of the most discerning collections in New York, they’re shaping the future of the art world itself.
Whether it’s through legacy preservation, market strategy, or cultural advocacy, their work reveals the deep responsibility behind every acquisition. In an industry built on both emotion and economics, these professionals ensure that art continues to inspire, educate, and endure for generations to come.
We’ve been keeping an eye on renowned art advisor Laura Solomon, a prominent figure in the New York City art scene, and were excited when she agreed to an interview. With years of experience navigating the intricate world of art acquisition and curation, Laura has established herself as a trusted expert for collectors seeking to enhance their art investments. Her keen eye for emerging talent, deep knowledge of art history, and passion for fostering meaningful connections between artists and collectors have earned her a distinguished reputation. Today, we’ll delve into her journey, insights into the role of an advisor in the art market, and advice for both aspiring collectors and seasoned enthusiasts. Read below to explore the dynamic world of art through Laura’s perspective.
1AN: You’ve had the rare opportunity to work closely with both artists, like Karel Appel, and collectors at the highest level. How has that dual perspective influenced your approach as a private advisor today?
I definitely have a well-rounded perspective having spent decades working with a handful of significant artists. For the artist and studio, knowing the collection and having a direct relationship with the collector is highly valuable. It harkens back to the days when artists were supported by wealthy patrons. The collectors I work with greatly value forging connections with artists and cheering on their successes and supporting their careers over time. On the other hand, I am keenly aware of supply and demand and how acquiring work from a particularly prolific artist has its own set of concerns. This knowledge has also given me an understanding that an artist’s practice and output is not always even and consistent. I know how to evaluate the various phases of an artist’s oeuvre and prioritize certain pieces/periods. I am confident in my ability to select the strongest work out of an exhibition or series.
Project: Tuxedo Park Manor Estate; Interior design: de la torre design; Photography: Peter Murdoch Photography; Published: Elle Decor, October 2009
1AN: Well, your confidence is well earned with experience, considering you’ve been immersed in the art world since the early ’90s. In your view, how has the role of the art advisor evolved over the past three decades not just in terms of client expectations, but also in the broader context of market transparency, access to information, and the growing intersection between art, lifestyle and investment?
The role of the art advisor has changed so dramatically in the past few decades as to render the early role one that barely resembles the art advisor of today. Back then, the amount of time it took to source, present and finalize an acquisition took weeks, if not months. In the early days, I would have professional transparencies taken or duplicated and a lengthy art historical write up accompanied catalogs and press packets – all messengered to client’s residences for consideration. I remember using an annual Art in America guide to track down international sources and relying on faxes. A good library was everything and I would sometimes go to Ursus Books by the Carlyle to find an obscure publication to source collectors of a coveted artist.
Being a good advisor has always required resourcefulness, diligence, thoroughness and professionalism. As the art world evolves, you need to be able to see beyond market and media hype to find quality, value and resonance, a perspective that is both macro and micro.
Today, the speed with which information and images are received and sent out is virtually instantaneous. I am checking on emails all day and night and it is often the sooner you act on an offer, the better the chances for “getting” the best work. With that dynamic, it is imperative that you figure out who your collector is and what motivates and inspires them. Then, you need to educate them on artists of interest so much so that when a work drops into their inbox that I have tentatively secured for them, they are in a position to immediately say yes. I feel extremely well-equipped to get collectors ready so that they can take advantage of the privileges that my reputation affords them. So much about being an art advisor today is about access – it helps to be a veteran and to have so many strong relationships that span decades.
A fully transparent relationship with collectors is essential. Having a contract that delineates my role, how I am compensated and sets the expectations for our relationship is part of that transparency. My clients know that my fiduciary responsibility is to them and as their advisor and I don’t muddy those waters, ever. It also helps to have the most wonderful collectors who don’t speculate or flip and are grateful for the depth of experience and self-expression that collecting affords. I love being in a role where I can metaphorically hold their hand as they develop and introduce art to their lives.
Project: Chelsea Loft; Interior design: de la torre design; Photography: LSFA
1AN: So, for those collectors who are aiming to build a collection that holds both emotional resonance and long-term value, what guiding principles would you recommend? What role do you, as an advisor, play in helping them navigate that delicate intersection between heart and market?
An art advisor’s role is to do just that – distill the market and understand value-making while allowing the collectors to focus solely on the deep emotional connection. It goes without saying that you hire an art advisor to help you make “good” decisions because of the significant cost of acquisition. There are notable benchmarks I search for when looking at an artist’s bio that can help me find standouts from the hundreds of emails and offers I sift through in a day. The collectors I work with are thrilled when their collection has increased in value but that is not why they collect. I educate them about the market but give them the freedom and confidence to collect with all heart.
Project: Central Park Skyscraper; Interior design: dhd Architecture & Interior Design; Photography: Jose Manuel Alorda; Published: Galerie Magazine, January 2024
1AN: You’ve worked on residential projects at the highest level. How do you approach collaborating with interior designers to ensure the art not only complements the space but also maintains its own integrity and impact within a curated environment?
It is all about asking the right questions and with designers, it is easy to speak their language. When I am tapped by a designer to help source work for a particular project or client, I am very specific in my conversations surrounding aesthetics to be sure I know how they want the art to dialogue with the surroundings. Sometimes, designers are looking for a balanced and cohesive combination of art and interiors. Other times, they are looking for art to add another layer to a space, to find pieces with more depth that have a stronger presence than the interior. In any case, at this high level, the art is not “decoration,” I work with designers to elevate their vision through the presence of fine art.
If I am working with a collector with a major designer attached to a particular residence, I definitely like to involve the designer but at the end of the day, the collector is the one that will ultimately need to sign off on the acquisitions. It is usually seamless and the collector has chosen to work with a designer because of their vision and execution.
In one instance, a client and a designer I work with often restored, renovated and decorated a magnificent manor house with incredible, eclectic antique furnishings. Rather than continue the trend of sourcing from the period, the collector amassed an impressive collection of challenging Contemporary Art that was impactful and daring. The result was massively successful and the juxtaposition of historical and contemporary was magical. The designer was thrilled and everyone agreed that the marriage of the two, though widely disparate, was fantastic.
1AN: OK, but aside from residential projects, your advisory work also spans corporate and hospitality spaces. How does your curatorial strategy shift depending on the type of environment you’re sourcing art for?
When it comes to advising for a corporate or hospitality space I curate based on how the space is used. If I am selecting work for a W Hotel, for example, there is a certain level of intrigue and provocativeness that is present in my recommendations, based on the stylish brand and clientele. In contrast, if I am selecting work for a law firm, I may recommend art that is grounded, strong, contained, and current. A recent law office included some ultra-contemporary art to keep in line with their clientele that are often at the forefront of culture; portraying a vibrant firm that is up to date and “in the know”. Of course, that art wasn’t too provocative so as to incite controversy, but it wasn’t dated, for sure! Regardless of the type of environment I am sourcing for, part of being a great art advisor is knowing your client so well as to be able to interpret their personality into aesthetic choices. It is essential to have a deep understanding of the kinds of art that inspire and move them. Considering and interpreting the space where the art will hang and how that space will be used and inhabited is crucial.
