The Arts Council of Century City Chamber of Commerce will present “The Art of Buying Fine Art,” an informative luncheon featuring a panel of art experts ready to share their experiences, offer advice, answer questions, and of course, educate the audience on how to choose and buy art pieces like professionals.
The event will take place from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Thursday, Nov. 13 inside the Grand Chateau at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City.
The expert panel will feature Rosamund Felsen, gallery owner and art dealer at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica; Scott Schaefer, senior vice president of International Fine Arts – Sotheby’s; Carl Schlosberg, art dealer and curator of “Gwynn Murrill on Avenue of the Stars”; and Molly Barnes, art dealer, radio personality, author, and program moderator.
Jean Tardy-Vallernaud, chair of the Arts Council of Century City Chamber of Commerce and president of Century City Arts and Culture Foundation, explained the objective of the event.
“First, we hope to educate an audience in the field of art, and in this case, how to best acquire art, by sharing the knowledge and wisdom of recognized experts,” Tardy-Vallernaud said. “We also hope to initiate people to accessing art – and maybe spawn a few new collectors!”
Tardy-Vallernaud also keeps in mind broader goals of the event and of the council.
“Second, we hope to continue to promote our Council and the Chamber,” Tardy-Vallernaud said. “And as always, we hope to fulfill our core mission: to enhance the quality of life, and the quality of a community through initiatives focused on the arts.”
Tardy-Vallernaud explained that the inspiration for the event came about when “one of the Council members suggested that it was time to focus on the needs of the art buyer,” what with the art market “as active as it has been in recent years.”
Whether the buyer is “a beginner or an accomplished director,” the event will seek to assist buyers of all levels in purchasing fine art, from “a $600 work of art or a $600,000 piece.”
Panelist Scott Schaefer weighed in on his thoughts about the benefits of the event.
“To some, walking into a gallery is like walking into a high-end jewelry store,” Schaefer said. “Most are put off by the idea that it’s often not very user-friendly. Buyers should be welcomed and feel comfortable about purchasing pieces that they’re interested in.”
With years of experience at over five different museums, including the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the local Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Schaefer also emphasized the importance of how to view a museum or a gallery.
“It should be a resource,” Schaefer explained. “It should serve as a place to look at, study, and buy art.”
Tardy-Vallernaud added on to the notion of user-friendliness within the realm of the arts.
“I am most excited to ‘debunk the myths’ and clear the opaqueness of the art market: make it friendly, understandable, and accessible to all who want to access it,” Tardy-Vallernaud said.
According to Tardy-Vallernaud, the Council’s event attendance tends to vary depending on the subject matter as well as the time of day or year. The upcoming luncheon will be the “thirteenth such event conceived and hosted by the Council in its five-year history.”
“We are officially shooting for 50 attendees for this event, but we are always conservative,” Tardy-Vallernaud said. “Based on the early registrations, we suspect we’ll see quite a bit more.”
The past Arts Council events have covered both the art form – which encompasses “painting, architecture, dance, poetry, theater, photography, and public sculptures – as well as the art market’s function – which includes “authenticity, dynamics of the contemporary art market, and appraisals.”
Tickets for the event are priced at $40 for Chamber members, $50 for non-members, and $60 at the door.
The InterContinental Hotel is located at 2125 Avenue of the Stars in Century City.
For more information or to RSVP, call 310.553.2222 or visit centurycitycc.com.
