ABOUT

Greenberg Art Advisory is a boutique art guidance service that assists in art acquisitions and collection building.  Investment considerations, aesthetic choices, discerning the finest works by an artist – each of these represents an area of equal importance in the work we do.

All good advisors have years of experience in the art world, but few have the added acuity of 30 years of legal expertise and personal art-making.  These factors truly distinguish James Greenberg from others in the field.

Substantial education and knowledge of the canon of art history coupled with our focus on current artistic production ensures GAA’s ability to identify important and aesthetically excellent works of art.

SERVICES

Listening.  Above all, GAA’s mission is to satisfy client needs.  After 30 years of service experience, James Greenberg understands that listening is the single most important factor in a successful client relationship.   Nowhere is that more important than between advisor and collector.   The process cannot begin and will not be successful without input from the client as to aesthetic preferences, risk tolerance, collecting strategies and desires.  Many of these require education and a give and take that develop over time.  The starting point is conversation, looking, and the presentation of recommended works for consideration and feedback.

Sourcing.  Through attention and connections in the art world with both primary (retail) and secondary (resale) market dealers, GAA is able to locate and make available the finest historic, mid-career and emerging artists’ work.  Deep knowledge of gallery rosters and relationships across the dual retail/resale spectrum make it possible for us to source works to satisfy most buying needs, and in many cases check boxes on collectors’ wish lists. 

Discernment.  An advisor is ineffective without an eye for quality and craftsmanship and a real understanding of the conceptual underpinnings of art and art history.  In this department James Greenberg  holds himself out to be a true expert.  Not many can look at a painting and see it’s compositional, tonal, spatial, emotional/psychological and substantive impact in an instant.  James Greenberg can.  And only the true student of art history - one who already knows much and who is also willing to learn more – can offer the insight required to “feel” that a decision on an acquisition is right.

Governance.  Many transactions are as simple as buying from a gallery and receiving an invoice that marks the first sale of an artist’s work to the public.  But many transactions that involve resale are fraught with complication relating to title, authenticity, provenance, taxes and insurance.  Decades of legal experience and participation on the NYC Bar Association’s Art Law Committee and connections to professionals across the various disciplines enables our team to sort through these issues most effectively.

Balance.  No good collection is as good as it could be unless it balances the various interests of the collector, the market and the institutional landscape.  Spotting career ascent and differentiating it from trends requires broad knowledge of the landscape and the market makers.  Knowing the difference between a hot artist and one with staying power is essential.  A good collection can mean balance along a single collecting thread, such as pop or minimalism, or can mean a more general and broad approach, such as American or Italian Modernism.  GAA strives to educate our clients in the myriad ways of amassing a collection and remains open to any number of approaches based on client interests.

Details.  Getting art deals done can be more involved than just buying.  Knowing the tax laws, understanding and arranging insurance and shipping, dealing with lighting, framing and installation – all of these details are within our expertise and our rolodex.  Making things easy for our collectors by covering these bases makes collecting a pleasure and not a burden.