As children, art and antiques remained something which was always just there… Oriental rugs, antique swords, matchlock pistols from the 18th century, or massive 17th century Italian portraits; that was simply how homes were decorated in our minds as children. These pieces were our concept of economy, though we never took it seriously and certainly never thought to make a career of it. In retrospect, it was the only thing that was ever really solid and consistent among those of us who now own and operate Artzze.
As Principals of Artzze, we began our journey professionally in response to the financial crisis of 2008. After enjoying careers in finance in New York City, we began to help our respective families on the side; doing small jobs while searching for work in finance. In 2010, the decision was made to embark in the new journey full-time. We had minored in art during undergrad studies at university, but never thought seriously about pursing the business of Art as a profession.
Before deciding to go all-in, we had spent years working in the finance industry finance and, as such, we knew a lot of Art collectors. Before too long, we were brokering art deals all over the world on behalf of our clients. Many of these clients had also been affected by the financial crisis, and needed to raise funds. As many in the know are aware, there are countless risks in selling publicly at auction. For them it was a way to hedge their risk, and they were our first great clients.
We were in a bit over our heads at the time, even with our backgrounds in finance, art education, childhood experiences our family background, however we didn’t want to involve our family or ask others for help. As a result, we had to increase our expertise very rapidly, very early on. Along the way were fortunate to work with some of the best art specialists in the world, and in a way, that was our real Master apprenticeship.
It was a far cry from our high school days of doing deals for pocket money. We learned by doing and then by going back and studying as much as we possibly could; Reading, going to exhibitions, buying a lot of items, handling collections on behalf of clients, and so more. It seems that one learns the most from doing and having some skin in the game as we certainly did.
Those initial experiences provided us with an immeasurable understanding of how today’s clients feel, especially if they are not an experienced buyer or new to the market. At Artzze, we are constantly looking for new ways to make the process of buying art online more honest, transparent and worthy of their time and resources. We engage with our customers, listening closely, and delivering products and services that will bring decades of joy to their lives.