What’s Next…..Who Knows?? Is a very fitting subtitle for our annual catalogue. What has happened in the past four-five months seems unimaginable, then again, it could be a blessing in disguise, a kind of wake-up call for all of us. Our global treatment of humanity, our planet’s environment, economic collapse, civil rights and politics have caused a boiling point in our society and then add the Covid-19 Pandemic to top things off and there you have “What’s Next…..Who Knows?
One thing I know is art and the art market has literally been around forever and has weathered centuries of wars, economic crashes and many other global disasters and will continue to prevail perhaps in new ways to which it will need to reinvent itself. I believe a correction is taking place as has happened in every market throughout history when strained by historic events. The brick & mortar gallery model is becoming a thing of the past and the existence of art fairs in the near future is questionable regarding the current health situations for the dealers and the collectors who attend. I believe that a large group of galleries are going to close as their business models aren’t strong enough to survive these extreme times. It is my opinion the galleries that will prevail are the ones who have “skin in the game”, own what they sell and have weathered difficult times before. These are the individuals who have spent their lives deep within the passion of art.
I have been in the art business for the past 50 years and own everything we sell as we believe in our expertise through our knowledge, scholarship and taste which is reassured by our experience and foresight. Fifteen years ago we became a private gallery because it was apparent that our audience was focused on what we owned and represented making our business intimate and personable unlike many larger galleries. We have a beautiful 3,000 square foot townhouse located at 222 East 49th Street next door to Kathryn Hepburn’s old residence. There you will find our in-situ viewing with mid-century furnishings as one would in their own home instead of a white box gallery setting. VFA also has a 6,000 square foot studio in Millbrook, New York 85 miles north of the city in the Hudson River Valley which was originally part of Henry Flagler’s family’s estate. (shown in photos on left) Our two private destination locations are the perfect settings for viewing our vast inventories of Post War and Modern Art in the most private and safe accommodations one could dream of.
VFA’s annual catalogue is our signature statement that no other gallery comes close to producing. It shows our vast inventories along with our taste and vision revealing itself. We are now deep in production of a series of short films regarding what we do, how we do it and will focus on the wonderful works of art we possess. Once again, our goal is to produce something uniquely our own showing how art has been part of our lifestyle over the past fifty years.
For me art is the purist addiction that exists, and overtime have realized that its eclectic relationship with color, form and space connect everything in mysterious ways. Once again, we have put our heart and soul into what we believe to be a complete statement for you to appreciate. Hopefully our passion and enthusiasm will fuel your quest to absorb new ideas as the mystery of art unfolds around you.