Five Questions with Cultural Advisor Sebastien Laboureau

Nov 18, 2025

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.io was 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.

Connect with Sebastian here.

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