These New York Condos Come With an Art Curator Who Will Track Down Blue-Chip Works for You

Helena Madden

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Assembling a respectable blue-chip art collection isn’t easy—it takes time, patience, and knowledge of the art market doesn’t hurt. But in New York, one property is offering a unique service aimed at taking the pain out of art collecting for its residents.

An NYC first, 111 Murray has just debuted an “art concierge” service that will do all your fine art hunting for you. Dubbed the “Resident Concierge Art Program,” the service essentially acts as a curator on speed dial—almost literally. An assigned curator acts as a liaison between 111 Murray and the art world, and advises residents potential pieces to purchase. The curator then helps residents acquire the artworks and showcase them in their homes.

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“Here in Tribeca, we of course have residents who are art collectors,” Emily Sertic, 111’s director of sales, tells Robb Report. “We also have many buyers who don’t have those connections, and perhaps aren’t sure where to start.” The service, she says, is meant to serve both seasoned and novice collectors.

111 Murray's model unit.
111 Murray's model unit.
A 111 Murray model unit.

The program comes courtesy of Creative Art Partners, a Los Angeles-based “fine art solutions firm” that offers connections to over 15,000 artists and galleries, and a collection of works from Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Damien Hirst, Oscar Murillo and others. The firm’s success in the California marketplace—where its gallery connections and art-staging helped sell the homes of Lebron James and Ben Affleck—laid the foundation for the art concierge services. “The intersection of art and real estate is at a really important place right now,” Creative Art’s Alexander Ali told Hollywood Reporter of their work. “In our portfolio, you see an incredible range of collections that are commensurate with the value and quality of their homes.”

So, what does that look like at 111? There is, after all, quite a bit of geography between the firm’s California HQ and New York City. In addition to being on-call, the concierge notes that its curators pay regular visits to New York, allowing residents ample face time with their art specialist. Staff members at 111 can facilitate communications between residents and their designated art concierge as well. According to Creative Art, residents ultimately purchase or lease pieces through the program will benefit from an exclusive discount as well.

Lucien Smith's No Man of Her Own in the entryway.
Lucien Smith's No Man of Her Own in the entryway.
Lucien Smith’s No Man of Her Own, 2012 in the entryway.

It’s service that seems tailor-made for 111’s residences. All of the units were designed by David Mann, and 75 percent have private vestibules that function as both dramatic entryway and mini art gallery. Inside, 11-foot ceilings provide plenty of wall space.

Of course, the artworks won’t just be hidden in the condos. 111 Murray’s lobby and common areas will also hang blue-chip works: Lucien Smith’s No Man of Her Own hangs in the entryway (pictured above, and Aaron Garber’s Untitled fills out the lobby. Just beyond, Petra Cortright’s “mis padres salsa”_COMPUTER PET_quick’n brite (pictured below) makes a statement in the lounge. Creative Art Partners promises to swap these pieces out each season to keep things fresh.

Petra Cortright's "mis padres salsa”_COMPUTER PET_quick’n brite in 111 Murray's lounge.
Petra Cortright's "mis padres salsa”_COMPUTER PET_quick’n brite in 111 Murray's lounge.
Petra Cortright’s “mis padres salsa”_COMPUTER PET_quick’n brite, 2018 in 111 Murray’s lounge.

 

 

For now, the concierge formula is limited 111 Murray’s walls, but Creative Art Partners plans to scale it up. Building developer Witkoff will bring the program to its new project, The Residences at the West Hollywood EDITION, set to open in September. But if you’d rather not wait to start your in-home collection—without lifting a finger, of course—units at 111 Murray start at $2.5 million.

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