Ask the Private Art Dealer: Pierrette B. Van Cleve
Edited by Lisa Roche, 2009
The Smart Collector is honored to present its readers collector advice from the experts! Who better to advise the aspiring art collector than the art dealer? The Smart Collector posed questions to various local gallery owners/art dealers and we are thrilled to publish the responses for you from the following prominent San Diego based art dealer:
Pierrette B. Van Cleve is the founder and President of the Art Cellar Exchange and Van Cleve Fine Art. Ms. Van Cleve has multiple degrees in art, art history and art education, as well as a degree in Art Historical Criticism from Warnborough House College at Oxford University and a Masters in Art Education from Drake University. She worked for ten years as the Education Coordinator for the Des Moines Art Center under James Demetrion, the past Director of the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C and long time President of the AMA.
In 1988, she developed a service that specialized in the transfer of money and artwork between fine art collectors, the dissemination of appraisal information, and the fulfillment of the needs of corporations and private individuals. In 1994, the Art Cellar Exchange went online and became the first fine art business as well as the first woman owned business on the World Wide Web. In 1997, Pierrette Van Cleve was honored with a cover-story feature in Independent Business magazine. Art Cellar Exchange has also been referenced in many books and within interviews such as From Mind to Market (Blackwell, 1997), New York Times (November 4, 1999) and USA Today (January 10, 2000). Most recently, Art Cellar Exchange was recognized in the April 2000 issue of Vanity Fair.
In 2000, Van Cleve founded Van Cleve Fine Art, a curatorial and artist advisory service developed to work with emerging and mid-career artists. This company focuses on building solo and group exhibitions of contemporary art by international artists who work in the figurative tradition, exploring contemporary political, social and moral themes. VCFA also curates and exhibits private collections, including The Thomas Ireland Collection of Gunther Gerzso (Santa Barbara Museum of Art Retrospective, touring 2000-2004), Hugo Crosthwaite's Latin American paintings (Museo Tamayo and San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art),the Friedman Collection of Chicago Impressionists (Spainerman Gallery, 2001),and 21 st Century Chinese Pop Art at Art Basel Miami (Artspace Virginia Miller Gallery, 2007). Currently she is working on a SE Asian exhibition of feminist art called Visable/Invisable for 2010.
- What is the main service that you feel Art Dealers perform for art collectors?
The primary service of an art dealer is to be an educated advisor that works directly and personally with each collector to understand his or her goals in collecting. The job is to build collections – not just to buy disparate artworks. It is also very important is to advise clients through the process of deaccessioning if they are interested in curating down their collection.
- How have you built your collector base? Do you have a specific or special group of specialized collectors to which you market, and if so, can you describe/elaborate? Please give examples.
My collector base has been built through 30 years of experience in galleries, museum work and private brokering. Word-of-mouth referrals are the number one way we build our collector base. We are most interested in working with collectors that have a long term dedication to building their collection. We limit the collectors that we represent in order to only work with collectors that we can best serve - those interested in international contemporary art, and American and Latin American art from the 19 th, 20 th and 21 st centuries. We do not work with collections that are primarily decorative or with people whose primary interest is investment.
- In your opinion, how does an art collector differ from an art buyer?
A collector is someone who is a connoisseur, not a consumer; someone who has a long-term focus, vision, intention and dedication. A buyer buys.
- What is your past, present and future strategy for using the Internet to build you business?
Past: Art Cellar Exchange was the first fine art business on the Internet in April 1994.
Present: We maintain websites for Van Cleve Fine Art, Hugo Crosthwaite and Art Cellar Exchange. The sites contain inventory, content relevant to collectors and collection management (i.e. how to best protect, build, curate and conserve their collection.)
Future: More of the same. It is our goal to be a valuable resource to the community we serve by presenting content about relevant issues.
- How have other high tech advances affected your business?
Technology has given our clients and ourselves accurate information on pricing. Christie’s and Sotheby’s now provide live auction steaming video and live auction tickers, making it possible for anyone to watch auctions and get results as they happen. This is wonderful because it provides flexibility and convenience for the collectors we serve. Today, the majority of works purchased at auction are purchased by phone or electronically. Such high tech advances are wonderful as they accommodate fast and accurate dissemination of information to anyone interested. We believe knowledge is power and shapes intention.
- Do you mainly work for the artists you represent or do you work for the collectors. If both, do you get a commission from each?
I work in a couple of different capacities. Through my business, Art Cellar Exchange, I work as an art dealer – building collections as I have discussed above; carrying out the intentions of collectors and working with them to define their intentions. Through Van Cleve Fine Art, I work as an artist manager/artist advisor. As such, I work for artists by securing gallery placement, financial support, and museum exhibitions, as well as facilitating charity donations. The relationship between VCFA and artists is long-term. We do not haphazardly represent artists but instead make a lifetime commitment to grow the artist slowly. We do not sell their work; we find the best venue for sales and exhibition. Our commissions are earned from buyers who purchase artworks through our galleries.
- Do you guest curate for a gallery and do you ever encourage your collectors to do the same? What are the advantages and disadvantages of loaning work from their collection for a show?
Another component of Van Cleve Fine Art is the curatorial side of the business. We are hired by galleries and often work with museums to develop and curate shows. We do not borrow client’s works for gallery shows unless the collector is in the market to sell. We definitely encourage collectors to lend and donate works to museum exhibitions whenever possible. The public exposure is wonderful for artworks from private collections as a painting’s exhibition history places the work within a contemporary context and substantiates provenance.
- What are your most successful tactics for getting your artists written about in the press? Do you produce catalogues with written essays and how does this writing help collectors?
My most successful tactic is to work with great artists whose work garners the interest of critics, whether it is from participating in museum shows, selection for various competitions (i.e. juried or biennial competitions), or general interest. We work only with contemporary figurative artists whose work discusses the space, place and time in which we live. When we curate exhibitions, we write a show premise/curatorial statement. In general,however, it is a conflict of interest for us to write about artists as we do not work as art critics. It is our job to promote the press that our artists receive.
- How are you involving the younger generations (sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren) in the collecting process?
We encourage collectors to buy for generations, and build collections for their heirs. It is our position that when buying art, one should not be concerned with the selling of the work in the future but with whom to which the artwork will be passed on.. For example, through Art Cellar Exchange we work with collectors who put original works of art in their children’s rooms and environments. We advise collectors to document their collections and to not only be concerned with organizing invoices, but also with documenting their own voices ( the where, when and why each work was purchased) with the intent of passing this information along with the artworks from generation to generation.
Personally, I am building a collection for my daughter. I began by buying her a work of art for her birthday years ago, and as she has grown and developed her own interests and tastes, she has begun making her own curatorial decisions. She is in the process of buying a Jennifer Poons.
- What do you believe is the single most important factor for the art dealer to contemplate when deciding who to represent and which work to buy in or choose to promote? Can you talk about the importance of authenticity, quality, value, and/or the artist’s past history/provenance in evaluating a piece for purchase?
Long-term dedication, quality, skill, connoisseurship and exploring a recognizable style are all the most important factors when deciding to work with an artist. An artist must have a history of visible progression with particular style, vision and a well-developed understanding of narrative. We do not buy-in works because it is our job to promote. If we were to buy-in the best work, we would be doing a great disservice to the artist, by limiting their exposure and taking the best works off the market.
The historical credibility of a work of art is demonstrated through its provenance (i.e. gallery shows, museum exhibitions, etc.). Authenticity is the most important factor for any sale. We do not sell artworks without confirmed authenticity because we are 100% liable for our sales. We rely on experts and foundations to authenticate artworks.
- How do art dealers help the art collectors meet and maintain a relationship with the artist? And, how can the art collector help San Diego art dealers improve efforts in this area?
A relationship between collector and artist is not the point of buying artwork. It is a nice bonus, but not a prerequisite. Collectors often meet artists at gallery and museum openings; but the purpose of the artist is to be in their studio, working and creating the best work they can. For a collector it shouldbe be about admiring and wanting to live with the work – not partying with the artist.
- Do you ever ask your collector buyers for recommendation on artists? If yes, please elaborate.
No art dealer worth anything would think that they know all the artists that are out there. It is our job to have our eyes and ears open at all times. No one knows more about building the collection they personally want than the collector, themselves, so we always listen to what our collectors have to say. Our purpose is to make sure their dream is realized. We always inquire about artwork we see that it is interesting; whether it be in a collector’s home, an art fair, or in a gallery. A collector of ours just recommended an artist to me that I am in the process of bringing into our stable.
- Who are the types of collectors you most respect and why? (Feel free to elaborate on how you might classify types of collectors.)
Let me reiterate that there are collectors and there are buyers. Collectors are passionate, obsessed, educated, insatiable, crazy, and wonderful art lovers who understand that having a work of art on their wall enriches their life, shapes their attitudes and defines their humanity in a way nothing else but “the arts” can satisfy. We respect these passionate people, whose interest level is as high as ours.
- Starting a relationship with an art dealer can sometimes be a daunting experience, and as a result, a potential collector may fail to ask the right questions or make false assumptions about doing business. Do you have any advice for collectors in becoming more comfortable when working with art dealers? What kinds of questions should the art collector ask the art dealer?
My best advice is to find someone who sees life in the same way you do and with whom you are comfortable communicating; someone who shares your values. You must understand that for a great dealer, it is a passion as well as a business. The first question I would ask someone whom I was considering as an advisor would be “What do you have on your walls?” Go from there.
- What is the most important advice you could give a new collector?
Buy only what you love and what resonates with you. Develop a focus for your collection and understand that selling is always done from the bottom; never sell off the best works from your collection first. And, if you decide to hire a professional, trust them to do their job for you, which should not include dictating your taste.
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