In 2026, I’ll mark my 30th year selling art, three decades of learning, listening, researching, and earning wall space one conversation at a time. Nothing was handed to me. Every placement was built step-by-step.
At 22, I overtalked and overexplained. Convincing someone to spend $10,000 (or heaven forbid $50,000) felt like climbing Everest in dress shoes. I knew the artists cold—but hadn’t yet learned when to stop talking and ask for the sale. That balance between knowledge, confidence, and judgment took time. A lot of time.
When I made my first $1,000 sale, I called my mom. Those early years were humbling and often felt rudderless. Perspective eventually arrived: the shiny trappings of “success” mattered less than building something durable—a reputation, a runway, and a life with purpose.
Starting my own company in 2008 became my crucible. I left my old firm with no safety net, and here’s where I credit my wife Kat for sticking with me. There were sleepless nights, deals that evaporated, shipments that went sideways, and many moments when quitting would’ve been easier. Instead, I learned to compound small wins, one honest deal at a time. That’s been the last 18 years: showing up, following up, and stacking trust.
Along the way, we built a strong 20th-century program (Picasso, Warhol, Miró, Dalí, Calder, Lam, etc.) alongside contemporary voices (Hirst, Banksy, Bochner, Mr. Brainwash, etc.), embraced a global online model early, and placed works across Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and beyond.
And just as meaningful: founding ComicKids.org in 2020, bringing the joy of art to thousands of vulnerable kids nationwide. Watching them light up with pencils, paper, and permission to imagine has been one of my greatest privileges.
Thirty years. None of them easy from start to finish. But we’ve kept our nose clean, worked hard, and tried to do right by our clients, artists, partners, and community. I’m deeply grateful, and proud to still be standing, with Kat at my side, still learning, still curious, and still earning trust step-by-step.
