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Interview With
Max Laniado
The Disappearing Art -  Of Selling Art

[email protected]

Hello Max,
my friend I am happy to have this opportunity to ask you what I believe are very important questions
about the business of selling art as it seems to be such a tricky elusive and downright confusing thing for so many artists and art dealers.
 
Speaking with you about art has been enlightening and educational.
Your integrity to the artists you represent is rare and refreshing, in a shiny over glossed world
​filled with rubber tire sales people latching on to the next big fad.
 
True, there are still a few of you out there.
The art dealers who maintain a small roster of artists and stick by them through the up and down markets and continue to run landmark galleries that have held key positions in major metropolitan markets like NY, CA, etc..   
 
Based on the ever-changing landscape of the real estate business in these key locations, what was once a hot spot is now a dead spot. The time that it may have taken to build what is usually an industrial area filled with large warehouse factory buildings into a chic destination for those in the know is the same amount of time it takes for the landlords of these buildings to figure out that they can charge 3 times the amount of rent they were previously charging, driving out well-known galleries as the profit margin has just disappeared.
 
Then it’s time to figure out where to go next - maybe Bushwick an area of Brooklyn which at one time was known as a war zone, and even the toughest characters thought twice about getting out of their cars, much less opening their windows.
 
But this did not stop the great metamorphosis which we know as the NY real estate landscape and it stands true for many other parts of the country which have always been known as destinations for the arts, from turning these
neighbourhoods from Neolithic nightmares into theme parks for the rich and fabulous.



TNYO: Are you originally from France, Max?
 
Max L: Yes. I was born in Paris.
 
TNYO: What was your childhood like? Do you come from a large family, brothers, sisters? The child within us is alive hopefully, and can keep you young. This can also tell you a lot about where a person is in the present.
 
Max L: My parents were a phenomenal loving couple. I have one sister. All I can say is that I had a very happy childhood.
I was brought up with love, humanist values, respect for others, and in a very cosmopolitan environment.
You are right; it is great to keep a child’s spirit. Imagination, dreams, passion, the ability to laugh, the burst of enthusiasm…
 
TNYO:  You mentioned at dinner one night that you were a scientist before you became an art dealer. Can you tell us a little more about this?
 
Max L: Since my earliest childhood, I have always been attracted to arts, music, theatre, paintings and sculptures. As soon as I was allowed to go in the city by myself, I spent most of my free time to visit museums. But my parents did not want to hear about art as a profession and wanted me to go to university, to get the highest graduations, to have a “proper” profession.

As I was also gifted in mathematics and sciences, I graduated as a scientist and became involved in high-level research in biology, and an expert in applied technologies. I was invited by GEC to go to London and appointed as a senior executive consultant for one of their groups.
In London, I met a writer who was a wealthy collector, patron of arts. He introduced me to all his friends who were the most prominent English artists.

As I was socializing in this artistic circle, I felt that this was my world. I could enjoy and develop effectively my lifelong passion for arts. I noticed that, in these circles, there were many young artists, friends or students of the masters, who were struggling to be represented and have their art shown. A few years later, the GEC group I was working with was bought by a Japanese group and my contract ended. For me, this was a relief.

​I had time, money, and I had proven to my parents what I could achieve, their way. I decided to do what I really was born for: Art. I started to represent emerging artists. That was over twenty-three years ago. Since then, I have dedicated my life to my passion for arts.
 TNYO: You have been working with your artists from galleries overseas and here in NY is that correct?
 
Max L: I started to represent artists in England. My father had died, and my mother was getting old. So, I decided to return to France, and develop my art business there. From 2006 to 2010, I was an active sponsor of the main historical art fairs at the Grand Palais in Paris. This was a great way for me to immerse in the “continental” artistic arena that is very different from the British one. The opportunity arose to open a large art gallery in the most exclusive district in Paris. Selecting unique and exceptional talents, and with the philosophy of the great dealers of the 20th century, it became one of the most respected contemporary art galleries.
New York is the art market leader by far with 44% of the world contemporary art market. France represents only 2%!
It became obvious that the rise of my artists would be limited in Europe. I decided then to bring their works in New York and promote then there.
 
TNYO: How long have you been in NY working as an art dealer and how long have you been working in the art business?
 
Max L: I started to work as an art dealer over 20 years ago in London, then Paris and since 2014 in New York.
I have to say that I dislike the word art “dealer”. It has a too commercial connotation. Although I accept that success is measured in sales and money, I prefer to be qualified as an artist “promoter”. My mission is to make my artists known, famous, successful and recognized for their unique and timeless talent. The financial aspect is the result of this.
 
TNYO: Do you like NY?
 
Max L: Yes, I do love New York. It is obviously different from European cities such as Paris, Rome, Madrid, or London were centuries not to say millenniums of history are present everywhere.
New York is impressive, by its gigantism, by its constant buzz. It is the city that never sleeps. The confluence of so many cultures. The symbol of enterprise and never-ending opportunities.
I found the people friendly, open and very welcoming. It can be tough, but hard working and persistent people have the best chances to succeed, and make their dreams come true than anywhere else in the world.
 
TNYO: What is the art scene like in Europe?
 
Max L: With globalization, with the Internet, the 21st century imposes that we have a broader look.
 
Art is the creation of humans. It goes beyond the only exceptional skills. It is the expression of powerful thinkers.
There are statistics and reports on all the trends country by country. But this is based more on an economical approach.
Will the stars of today remain those of tomorrow? Will the today unknown emerging artists become the new masters for the next century?
For many centuries, Europe has been the centre of the art world. Artists from all around the world converged to Paris and France where they lived, worked, and often made their debuts.
With prestigious art academies, famous historic art fairs (since the 17th century) and the most important auction houses, Europe remains an important and inspiring art centre.
 
World War II, a volatile European economy, displaced the art centre to a safe haven, the United States of America and New York. With a powerful economy, an overwhelming dynamism, the emergence of great American masters, the development of American Abstract Expressionism and the contribution of great art dealers (such as Leo Castelli) have raised New York to an undisputable first rank in the World Art Market.
 
Europe, with its great variety of cultures and long history, is still a major player in the art world.
America is closing fast its initial handicap of being a young nation with only 240 years of history.
 
In Europe, there is an actual trend with the Street art and also with African art (especially in the UK and France.)
In the UK, one can see that figurative art is still dominant.
France. Many galleries promote Street Art.
Germany has very different artists. It is a harder expressionism. Berlin galleries present fast changing offerings.
 
Well, if today’s fame is only based on trend and fashion, I fear that it can be ephemeral.
But, if one can make a revolution without breaking too many genetic links, then he or she will leave an indelible imprint in history.

TNYO: What does art mean to you?
 
Max L: Art is an expression of the evolution of humanity. Already prehistoric men used to make stunning creations. An example of those is the famous cave paintings of Lascaux (France.) With the appearance of the first beliefs and priests, artists were needed to create totems and idols. For many millenniums, art was representing religious themes, and glorifying monarchs and their achievements. Art was representing beauty, and then expressing memories and ideas, relating stories, and expressing human thinking. Art is a universal language.
Art is the expression of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
Art is an emotional translation of the feelings or ideas of an artist who hopes that the spectator will tune in that emotion.
This is what I wrote in one of my editorials:
 
“To share my love for art, my passion for the inner beauty of human beings; to discover the essence of creation; to bring the public into a state of osmosis with the artist’s emotional expression; to reveal and to be the catalyst for great talents; to feel emotions that tingle your spine and to see the spectator bewitched by masterpieces of such stunning beauty and harmony exuding the essence of the soul; to discover those who will perpetuate the richness of our cultures…I have been fortunate to do all this for a living.”
 
TNYO: How do you select the artists you want to represent and promote?
 
Max L: I have seen thousands of artists, tens of thousands of artworks. Each day, I receive from 5 to 10 submissions from artists who would like me to represent them. In over 20 years of career, I have probably seen over 30,000 portfolios.
Scouting for exceptional talents is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Beyond the commercial aspects, I want to select artists who have the real potential to remain in history by bringing a new vision, a never-seen-before style and a sense of beauty and harmony. Above all, I search for those whose art inherits from history, while making an innovative contribution, and remaining relevant regardless of ephemeral trends and fashions.

Art is parallel to the development of humankind. It is strongly influenced by cultures and by the evolution of our societies. Keeping a “genetic link” with history ensures the impulse of life continuity. Academism is valuable if artists can free themselves from the past,
break the rules and why not make a revolution.

Basically, I consider the following criteria: Innovation, uniqueness, never-seen-before style, art mastery, spirituality, emotion.
 
I believe that the best critic is time and the general public of art lovers.
I select artists who have a real artistic spirit and soul, who have a strong identity and a unique and never-seen-before style or approach; those who, beyond the aesthetics, can trigger a strong vibe, and share their new vision; those who will
have the potential to remain in history, and will be referred to in a further future.
 
My choices are far from being exhaustive; they may be influenced by my personal inclinations. But I am a professional, and I am certain that those I chose will be remembered and celebrated long after me.
 
TNYO: What is the Business of Art  - As a world-renowned art dealer, can you tell us how this business works; the buyers the sellers, the blue chip artists, the living emerging artists, the masters of yesteryear;  how does one go about collecting valuable art?
As a new collector or a veteran collector with a diverse portfolio?
 
Max L:     I don’t know if you realize that a lot of people have written and write entire books about these subjects.
 
I will simplify. Basically, you have the blue-chip artists, established artists, and the emerging artists.
When I decided to convert my passion for art into a business, I decided that the most challenging and rewarding thing was to try to scout for new talents and promote artists who are not yet recognized on the art scene.

For me, trading paintings of old masters or famous artists are not my arena.
Everything has already been built, and, often, those artists are not with us anymore.

We can’t live only with the past. Art can be a witness of our time, but, more, it is a vision of our future.
But, I believe that one should consider those who are emerging today, and may or will become the masters that we will celebrate tomorrow. After all, over 100 years ago, Picasso, Braque, for example, were emerging artists in need of recognition. And, thanks to exceptional art dealers (such as H. Kahnweiler,) they found their springboard.
 
So basically, you have the “merchants”, and you have the “promoters” who discover the new talents, invest on their promotion and endeavour their best efforts to promote them with savvy art collectors and art lovers. Considering that an artist’s career spans generally over decades, you can see that it is a long haul effort. As I said earlier, time is the best critic.
 
I have chosen to deal with emerging living artists, because, I can explore their humanity, enjoy sharing their emotions and then become the interface with the collectors. My expertise and knowledge will reassure the artists themselves who can acknowledge an initial professional recognition and the clients with whom I establish for the same reasons a relation of trust.

Whatever is the motive of the buyer, I have always felt that being part of the first discoverers of an emerging talent is more glorifying that purchasing an artwork because of a well-known signature. A savvy collector, if he can afford the later, will consider both options. And some artworks of my artists are part of collections neighbouring works of famous celebrities such as Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Cy Twombly, Motherwell, etc.  This, in itself is already recognized.
 
Basically, I try to contribute to revealing artists who, I hope, will rise and become the sought-after masters of the future.
 
TNYO: What does your 2018 look like Max? Who do we need to look out for from the Max Laniado Artists Roster?
 
Max L: 2018 is a pivotal year.
Some of the artists that I have represented for over a decade have gained some deserved recognition, and, with their uniqueness and sustained evolution, will see their ascension increase dramatically.

For some, we have built a very substantial track record. In ten years, we have seen the rates of Cosmina increase by 1,500% with over 90 paintings sold. At the same time, we note the same kind of progression for Chhour (over 100 paintings sold.). Nicolae Ene, who was discovered only four years ago, has already gained a solid recognition for its unique and spectacular paintings. We are almost sold out.

Jeff Bortniker made a spectacular start for his first appearance in 2015 and 2016. And, for each of the remaining 10 of my group, there is a very promising future.
 
Some artists will enter public collections, and the time has now arrived when we can introduce them on the secondary market with the justification of their spectacular track records.
 
I can only manage a limited number of artists, 14 today. I may add two or three more to the group. Beyond that, I don’t think that I could dedicate enough of myself for a fair and equal promotion to more.
 
Also, I implement additional strategies, increasing participation in art fairs and developing the Internet that has become essential now. We have launched a new website with comprehensive information on all the artists.

It is interactive and provides the ability to view their artworks in high resolution and with minute details. We have always achieved important distant sales with clients all around the world, as far as Europe, India, China, New Zealand, etc.

For me, the Internet must not de-materialize the relationship between art dealer and client. On the contrary, it allows the initiation of that relationship that must remain close, because it is based on trust. Our website meets an overwhelming success.
 
I will conclude, that after decades of persistence, after having established the strongest relationship of trust with our clients (I prefer to say “with our fellow art lovers”,) I believe that this year 2018 will be the year of revelation for many of my artists.
TNYO: Can you choose a favourite tune of yours for our readers to listen to?
 
Max L:  Music is ma second passion. I like all kinds of music, as long as it is good. Classical, Jazz, pop, etc.
Music has often played an associated role in visual arts.
Here is a good example. I will choose a composer that I like:
Erik Satie.
​
Satie met Jean Cocteau, Picasso, and cubists painters such as Braque. He was in contact with Tristan Tzara, the initiator of the Dada movement. He met other artists involved in the movement, such as Francis Picabia (later to become a Surrealist), André Derain, Marcel Duchamp, Jean Hugo and Man Ray, and many others.
 
So, let us play one of his famous pieces for piano: Gymnopedie No.1

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