David Shapiro Fine Art

Overview

David Shapiro Fine Art advises private clients both in building collections, primarily of modern and contemporary art, and in selling, both privately and at auction. Daily analysis of the art market gives us a clear sense of market trajectories, timing, and best practices on both sides of the transaction.

David Shapiro Fine Art has advised private clients on purchases and sales of numerous artists ranging from notable twentieth-century figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, Ben Enwonwu, Sam Gilliam, Bob Thompson, and Andy Warhol to leading contemporary artists such as Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, Derek Fordjour, Eddie Martinez, Danielle Mckinney, Chris Ofili, Elizabeth Peyton, and Zhang Enli and newly emergent artists such as Heather Day, Yuan Fang, and Julia Jo.

Purchases

David Shapiro Fine Art has longstanding relationships with key galleries, and we are routinely afforded preferred primary-market access for many artists — this means better access, allowing clients to buy sooner and at better prices. We negotiate favorable discounts at galleries and better prices in secondary private sales. We also identify opportunities at auction and advise and assist in the bidding process.

The advisory arm of David Shapiro Fine Art encompasses a range of services, always acting as a true fiduciary, putting the interests of our clients first. We educate our clients on the respective art historical relevance of the works under consideration for purchase and we advise on the market trajectory for the given artist and type of work. We also makes recommendations on a range of services for art collectors such as framing, conservation, storage, and shipping, utilizing a network of professionals built over decades.

Sales

David Shapiro Fine Art assists clients in selling works, both at auction and in private sales, identifying sales venues that maximize profitability and efficiency, and negotiating favorable sales terms. When consigning works of art to auction for clients, there are numerous factors that can dramatically affect sales performance, and we consider all of them. We compare competing sale proposals and factor in every aspect of the potential sale including city, specific auction context, lot essay, lot order, and exhibition placement, among other criteria. Longstanding relationships with the auction houses and significant consignment volume means that David Shapiro Fine Art is generally able to secure highly advantageous consignment terms four our clients. Detailed knowledge of the sales process has consistently enabled David Shapiro Fine Art to achieve strong sales results for our clients.