Homes & Estates Florida Portfolio October 2017 | Page 8

I
t’s well beyond traditional gallery hours, and Jason Vass is in the
storage room of his eponymous Los Angeles art gallery, sifting through
Mark Dutcher contemporaries. Another high-end real estate agent has
come a-calling, and soon the chosen pieces will be hanging in an L.A.
manse for sale in an effort to attract attention from high-end buyers.
Vass is among a select group of artists, galleries, art consultants and stagers
contributing to this latest marketing trend in high-end real estate — one that
Joyce Rey, executive director of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury™, says is
just getting started. “The art staging trend applies primarily to the ultra
high-end of the market — in the $20 million-plus category. The more
expensive the house, the more important the art becomes.”
The natural parallel between the art world and high-end real estate
has brought the trend across the country, where Nicole Bray, founder
of Mercer Contemporary, a top New York art consultancy, curates art
for luxury properties. “There is a defi nite trend toward placing art in
these high-end properties for sale,” she says. “Architects, builders and
developers are looking for distinguishing elements and are realizing what
a great marketing tool art can be.”
Further down the East Coast, Miami’s answer to art staging comes
with a less temporary twist. “The new trend is to make a permanent art
installation part of the sales initiative,” says Forbes 30 Under 30 Realtor
Danny Hertzberg of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Miami
Beach’s The Jills ® .
A striking sculpture is framed by panoramic ocean views - one of many standout
art pieces in this multi-million-dollar Danny Hertzberg listing in Miami.
“I’ve seen fi rsthand the positive effects the artworks
A Win-Win
For the artist or gallery owner, the end goal is, obviously, making a sale.
But, in the absence of such, the added exposure helps. Noted artist
Knowledge Bennett of The Know Contemporary Gallery in L.A. sold
three pieces to collectors who’d seen his work in a Venice open house,
and continues to work with Realtors ® and developers. Among the 16
works provided by his gallery to a $23 million Bel Air listing are a few of his
own celebrated pieces, like an Andy Warhol-inspired painting depicting
former President Barack Obama as a gun-brandishing cowboy.
With “fi ne art versus the generic commercial art installations, the homes
become all the more memorable and capable of standing out within a
saturated high-end home market,” says Bennett. “I’ve seen fi rsthand the
positive effects the artworks have had on the homes and their ability to
sell. L.A. is such a sprawling city that it could take years to get your work
in front of some of these potential collectors. I’ve elected to take the art
to the people.”
Obama Cowboy (Magnifi cent 7), by Knowledge Bennett, Photo by Christopher Lee
6 | Homes & Estates | Florida Portfolio