Client: Private Collector

Overview

The project brief was to create a collection of abstract expressionist painting – on a fraction of the budget typically associated with this 1950s art movement – and install it in a Madison Avenue penthouse apartment in Manhattan. A dozen or so figurative and abstract paintings and a handful of prints were selected for this client, an architect based in San Francisco and New York.

Goals

We integrated three large commissioned paintings into this project, which amounted to about 20% of the project. In all three cases, the client had seen the artist's work and wanted to commission a piece specifically for his apartment in Manhattan. As the art consultant, I coordinated the commission process, keeping him up to date on progress. It was clear the client enjoyed following the process and the excitement of having a unique painting made for him.

Process

I was able to arrange for one of the artists to travel to New York from London to visit the location, which enjoyed a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline, which she saw on a crystal blue sky day. Informed by the architecture and vertical height, the artist was able to create a large scale painting reflecting the scale and grandeur of the setting it would reside in.

The other artist commissioned was based in Texas and we collaborated with a gallery in Santa Fe to coordinate the creation of this painting.

Additional Information

The commissioned artist agreed to create the painting as a diptych on two canvases - to allow for the elevator size restrictions - which as a first for the artist.