Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Zieff.
The Art Collector Company is a well-known, family run, art dealer in Boston. The company was founded by Laurence and Glenda Tall in 1979. Since that time, The Art Collector has established itself as a highly regarded marketer of original fine art for its clients.
Mr. Tall recognized a specific need to help individuals who could not accurately assess and maximize the value of art that they owned, whether acquired through inheritance or a previous purchase. Many of these individuals needed to be educated and wanted to be engaged in the process of selling their art, often in ways the traditional auction houses could not provide.
With this insight, together Mr. and Mrs. Tall, along with Glenda Tall’s son, Andrew Zieff, created The Art Collector to provide a highly customized service for its clients.
Prior to establishing The Art Collector, Mr. Tall created several successful art related businesses, including a retail art gallery, an art agency and distributorship, and a museum quality conservation framing company that exclusively served fine art galleries. Glenda Tall is a recognized painter who continues to paint to this day. Glenda has a fine arts background, graduating from Brandeis University with distinction in Fine Arts, and is a Master of the Copley Society, the oldest non-profit art association in the United States, with a history dating back to 1879. Andrew Zieff studied art in college and worked professionally as a graphic artist. Early in his career, he created a line of original art that was purchased by galleries and corporations across the United States.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ironically, unlike for many businesses at time of launch, when The Art Collector was founded, getting customers was not the biggest challenge. During these early years, it was evident that the traditional auction houses catered primarily to serious art collectors. As a result, and it may be hard to believe, an advertisement in the Yellow Pages provided plenty of clients. However, in the 1980’s and 1990’s, identifying and collecting relevant information about individual pieces and artists required significant effort and resourcefulness. During this period, The Art Collector relied on publications found in library art departments, open only to professionals, sourcing catalogue raisonnés, and its professional network of art experts.
With the advent of the internet, the dynamics of the business changed. As art information, including images, became readily available, obtaining data became far easier, and anyone who owned art usually could find information on the internet. This created new challenges. The availability and abundance of information often creates an impression of value that is not accurate. In addition, there has been significant growth in the number of auction houses, not all reputable. Further, “hidden treasure” television shows have fueled hopes for many about their art having great value. Together, these dynamics can lead to confusion and unrealistic expectations in the marketplace.
Today, we have found that word-of-mouth references have become ever more important for clients who want an independent and objective partner or agent to evaluate and sell their fine art, just as we have done for nearly 40 years.
The Art Collector – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We work hard to provide independent, objective and customized services, and we are proud of having many repeat customers. While there exist excellent auction houses, even the best have relative strengths and weaknesses in various areas of art. In addition, some art may secure its highest value being sold through an art gallery rather than an auction.
The Art Collector helps its clients make the decision about sale through auction or gallery. For art that is best placed in an auction, we help clients select an auction house and specific auction. For art that is best sold through a gallery, The Art Collector is able to draw upon it network of gallery owners and art buyers for placement.
If we believe it is in the best interest of a client to hold on to a specific piece, we will recommend that a client not sell right away. If, for example, based upon our assessment including existing conditions in the art market, we believe an art work has a good chance of increasing in value, we will suggest holding on to it and waiting to sell.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We have had many proud moments over the decades. One moment stands out in a manner that the public can share today.
The Art Collector was approached by a client who owned a rare statue, entitled “The Praying Knight,” by artist Cyrus Dallin. In 1929 Dallin was commissioned by an alumni group to create and display a permanent memorial at Cambridge Rindge and Latin (then called Cambridge High and Latin) for eleven students who died in World War I. Unfortunately, during a school renovation project in 1980, the statue went missing. The Art Collector, through its research and efforts, contributed to arrangements for the statue to be reunited with the school where it currently stands again.
Contact Info:
- Website: theartcollector.net
- Phone: 617.564.1278
- Email: info@theartcollector.net
Image Credit:
“BostonVoyager2” (photo ca. 1896 with tandem bicyclists)
[Courtesy of Historic New England]
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