Framing is a major component of any art acquisition process, and for us advisors, it is often just as creatively stimulating as sourcing the artwork. When advising clients on purchasing works on paper, photography, fine art prints, or certain paintings on canvas, we always stress the importance of paying equal attention and consideration to the frame. From a conservation standpoint, a high quality frame will ensure the artwork is well protected and safely housed to stand the test of time. From an aesthetic perspective, the frame is the final component to finish off an artwork and can have a huge impact on its overall appearance.

When walking through an art fair, our team has a tendency to end up in the backroom or exhibitor's closet, where you can see additional works being offered by the gallery. This is often where smaller scale or special objects are installed and we delight in what each gallerist decides to bring and exhibited each year. 

Navigating the intricacies of the art world can be a daunting challenge. Especially when trying to find pieces that align with personal taste, spatial needs, and budget constraints. This was the scenario faced by a client whose experience with Powell Fine Art Advisory showcases the transformative power of expert guidance in art acquisition.

We are excited to share this interview with our senior art advisors Lilah Aubrey and Astrid Burns, where they tell us more about their backgrounds, which artists they dream of collecting, what fuels their passion for the art world, and more. 

Vessels & Stems was an exhibition curated by our team at Jameson & Thompson in Jamaica Plain, Boston that took place in December of 2022. The work featured works inspired by nature, created by a fascinating group of artists, including Jean Bardon, Gráinne Cuffe, Alisson Owen, Avery Schuster, Margaret Sheldon, Brett Day Windham, Vanessa Varjian, and Ashley Zipp. 

In April 2022, we had the pleasure of working alongside artist Rosamund Zander on her retrospective exhibition, Rosamund Zander: En Plein Air, at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts. The show was a true masterpiece that embodied the artist's deep reverence and love for nature. With over 80 paintings on display, the exhibition transported viewers to the forests of New England, the cliffs of Costa Brava, and the groves of California, inviting them to discover the beauty in the undergrowth, outcroppings, gardens, and hillsides.

Whether it’s extravagantly carved and accented with 23 karat yellow gold or simple natural maple, a picture frame's primary goal is to protect our art. Frames create an outer shell that safeguards valuable and nostalgic works from damaging environmental conditions. But what goes into choosing the right one? When to use glazing (what even is glazing?) and how to pick a style or color? I spoke with three local framers to learn what goes into custom framing, and why it matters. Thanks to experts Liz Levitt of A Street Frames, Alex Jacobson of Adjective Art & Framing and Richard Siegel of Stanhope Framers who contributed insights and technical details for this article.

The global pandemic has affected everyone in countless ways. Adjustments we are making to our personal, lives will stay with us long after a vaccine has been distributed. The auction world is having to make similar shifts. The business, which has historically been based on splashy viewing parties, global tours and in-person sales, had to drastically rethink its model when Covid upended the Spring 2020 sales. Now that we’re seven months into the pandemic, the auction world has found its footing, thanks to continued demand and impressive cutting edge technology.

If you're an artist or medical or scientific illustrator who wants to share your work with a broader community, we want to hear from you!

Open Scholar is building an image library for their world class clients, composed of 25,000+ researchers, scientists and faculty at labs, institutions and prominent universities around the United States.

Join a community of artists and designers whose imagery brings to life a network of powerful, connected research websites.

I'm excited to share two projects I've been working on that will run through the summer.

The first is a speaker series I've organized with OpenScholar around the topic "Science is Beautiful". OpenScholar helps research institutions and their faculty produce professional, research-centric websites to share with the world. Dr. Gamaliel Herrera kicked off the series last week with a discussion about how he approaches collecting contemporary art through the lens of a radiologist. Tomorrow, please tune in to Lucy Kim, who will be speaking about her artist-in-residency at the Broad Institute. For the next six weeks we will be speaking with artists, curators, collectors, scientists, professors and doctors to learn more about the intersection of the arts and science.

Simply, I help people buy, sell, and maintain their artwork.

When someone is interested in buying a piece of artwork, but not sure where to start, I help identify artwork that would be of interest to them – either purchasing from a gallery, at auction, or from the artist directly.

I organize studio visits or other in person experiences, like attending art fairs which helps provide access to seeing the artwork that they are interested in. After someone has purchased a piece of artwork, I help them with shipping, framing, installation, lighting, appraisals and collection management. I’ve helped a lot with moves or renovations – organizing, having artwork packed and stored in a fine art storage facility.

UBS recently hosted a panel to discuss the art market in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The goal of the conversation was to assess the impact and consider the possible evolution the future art market might undergo. 

As illustrated in the graph above, this is a deeper and more pervasive crisis than the 2009 subprime mortgage recession. One attribute of 2009's rebound was the globalization of the art market that had occurred in the decade leading up to 2009 with an influx of new galleries, artists, auction houses and collectors.