Art Adviser Allan Schwartzman's Dual Role in Private Collections and Public Institutions
Since 1997, Allan Schwartzman, an art adviser and curator, has provided guidance for around twelve private collections, with one-third of these committed to institutions such as MoMA and LACMA. He currently holds the position of lead curator at Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim in Brazil, where he works with collectors like Howard and Cindy Rachofsky to enhance their collections. Schwartzman focuses on tailoring acquisitions to their specific contexts and emphasizes the importance of storytelling for institutional collections. He observes a growing market for emerging artists, with auction prices for works less than a year old reaching as high as $800,000. His firm, Art Agency, Partners, is set to expand near Madison Square Park. Schwartzman, who holds an art history degree from Vassar, is also a board member of Artists Space in New York. The article was published in November 2014.
Key facts
- Allan Schwartzman advises about a dozen private collections, with one-third bequeathed to museums including MoMA, LACMA, and the Dallas Museum of Art.
- He has been lead curator at Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim in Minas Gerais, Brazil, since its founding by Bernardo Paz.
- Schwartzman helped transform Howard and Cindy Rachofsky's collection from a 'mishmash' into a focused scholarly asset.
- His firm, Art Agency, Partners, will expand in Manhattan, partnering with former Christie's chair Amy Cappellazzo.
- Schwartzman notes emerging artists' works can sell for up to $800,000 at auction within a year of creation.
- He serves on the board of New York's Artists Space and previously curated at the New Museum of Contemporary Art.
- Historical adviser Bernard Berenson profited from secret dealer arrangements, unlike modern curators.
- Schwartzman encourages collectors to devote part of their budget to young, unproven artists.
Entities
Artists
- Allan Schwartzman
- Geta Bratescu
- Oscar Bluemner
- Charles Burchfield
- Marsden Hartley
- Lucio Fontana
- Bernard Berenson
- Marcia Tucker
- Amy Cappellazzo
- Howard Rachofsky
- Cindy Rachofsky
- Bernardo Paz
- Nicolas Berggruen
- Inge Reist
- Kathy Halbreich
- Wilhelm von Bode
- Roger Fry
- Henry Clay Frick
- J.P. Morgan
Institutions
- Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim
- MoMA
- LACMA
- Dallas Museum of Art
- Artists Space
- Whitney Museum
- New Museum of Contemporary Art
- Barbara Gladstone Gallery
- Christie's
- Art Agency, Partners
- Frick Collection
- Center for the History of Collecting
- Bode Museum
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Vassar
Locations
- Minas Gerais
- Brazil
- Manhattan
- New York
- United States
- Meatpacking District
- Madison Square Park
- Upper West Side
- Dallas
- Berlin
- Zurich
- Switzerland