Posted by Leonard Steinberg on March 6th, 2014

The Art Shows are in town and the next few days in Manhattan will be verrrrry art-focused. As always, the art crowd at the Armory Show were quite ‘arty’, mostly adorned from head-to-toe in black with seriously serious conversation the order of the day. I enjoy looking at art to see what our wealthy clients will be displaying in their homes. Marketers and developers have long used the art market as a lure for prospective buyers, naming their buildings even to draw in art collectors.

Michael Shvo was one of the first to designate a building specifically for art collectors, 650 Sixth Avenue. “With 650 Sixth Avenue, we’re bringing an important lifestyle to the neighborhood: a less-is-more sensibility that is articulated through quality, texture and depth but with a single color that embodies minimalism,” said the maestro. The sales gallery was set up to emulate an art gallery and an exhibit was titled “White Space, a Global Address”.  The building was marketed as ‘private galleries celebrating light and openness’. The spaces were pretty good, although what was delivered had several shades of white, some cream, and, well, the end result was slightly different than the dream….

Marketers and brokers use the words ‘curated gallery lobbies’,  ‘art collectors dream’, etc, etc on a regular basis. What appeals to serious art collectors? I have found the list below defines what truly appeals to collectors:

1)   The size and volume of wall space is important, but also very dependent on the style and scale of art. Who needs large walls for small art? Most contemporary art requires large wall space.

2)  Lack of direct light. Light is not good for artwork or fine furniture: a sun-flooded space is not highly desirable for quality artwork. Northern light is most desirable.

3)  Re-inforced walls: most regular sheetrock walls are unable to support the weight of some art pieces. At Adam Gordon’s 560 West 24th Street, a new building we represent in West Chelsea across from Gagosian, the walls are re-enforced with plywood.

4)  Illumination: most apartments designed for art collectors take little consideration as to how these works are to be illuminated.

5)  Canvas-like space: for some collectors the more simple and neutral the finish out of the apartment, the better. Although most New York homes do not show like bare minimalist galleries at all.

6) Ceiling height. Ceilings below 9ft are problematic for most art collectors. Then again, art comes in many shapes and sizes. Some collectors need ceiling heights above 12ft.

7)  Security: Sometimes we see art on the walls that costs much more than the property housing it. Having top security is important. Mostly this is left to a private security company to install. Although I have found many serious collectors prefer a doorman, I have seen some significant collections housed in nondescript buildings where no-one would suspect a serious collection.

West Chelsea certainly provides an inspiring setting for living and appreciating the arts. Buildings going up in the area should pay attention to the needs of collectors before promising something that won’t be delivered.