Navigating the Galleries

One of the prime roles of an art consultant (whether dealing with commercial/corporate clients or private clients) is being able to navigate the art scene in a given city. I've spent way more time than I'd care to admit traversing the streets of New York City's gallery districts - Chelsea, 57th St., SoHo, Williamsburg, The Lower East Side, etc. Where there is a gallery, you'll more than likely find me there. 

All this wandering and looking and studying has made me something of an expert in the gallery field. I know quite a few of the gallerists personally, I take a strong interest in knowing what shows are up now, which are worth seeing, which are especially well or poorly done. It's all part of the job.

One of the first things I do upon meeting a potential client is to try and get a feel for their personal likes and style. We might go through MOMA and wander through picking through an "ideal" collection. Do they like modernist, dark colors, pastels, uplifting depictions, photography. Once I get a basic feeling for this, I can then narrow down which galleries the client would most enjoy. It's then that we get serious about our work. It's up to me to put together a sort of travel itinerary of galleries and finally get the client out there to see some art that's for sale.