The New Art Experience by Camelia Esmaili

Camelia Esmaili is the founder and director of l’Atelier Camelia, a boutique art advisory and brokerage firm, specializing in the collectible segments of the modern and contemporary art. The agency is uniquely positioned to privately source top-level artworks from the established and emerging art markets for and on behalf of art collectors, art market professionals, cultural institutions and corporations. With expert knowledge and hands-on experience, the agency has built a solid reputation of trust and professionalism in the art sector. It has also established an impressive track record in developing innovative public art projects for the leading corporations.

Parisian native, Camelia was born and grew up in Paris, from Iranian decent. She studied Literature and Languages later she gained practical experience with a series of multidisciplinary internships in both Paris and overseas in the fields of applied arts. She then enrolled executive courses for Luxury Brand Management and Product Design at the London University of the Arts, College of Fashion. After freelancing on behalf of several art collectors to source emerging contemporary art from the Middle East and India since 2007, L'Atelier Camelia was formally established in 2008 to provide valuable strategic and innovative art advisory and sourcing services to informed clients.

Yana B.: Camelia, tell me about your agency

Camelia E.: L’Atelier Camelia helps private art collectors and corporate clients secure top-level modern and contemporary art through the art world. We are a boutique art advisory and brokerage firm servicing clients who value innovation and creativity as the leading drive of their collection quest coupled with high quality, high performance and fully optimized art sourcing and collecting services. With a solid network of scholarly peers and trading partners in the art world, we have a privileged access to major private art collections in many parts of the world. Our agency is all about connecting innovative art with similar innovative minded individuals.

Yana B.: What background most prepared you for your business?

Camelia E.: Passion for art, creativity and innovation at large and the pleasurable quest of discovering different cultures, civilizations, people, thoughts, perspectives, values..Speaking several languages helps communication and a better understanding of specific cultures and their neighborhood.

Yana B.: Your business has become well-known in the art world; explain to me in details some of the work that you do for your clients when they hire you.

Camelia E.: Our company means ‘workshop’ in French and this craftsmanship spirit is truly present in our practice. In formulating art advisory strategies, we rely on each client’s specific needs, profiles and objectives for truly personalized art sourcing services with innovation and creativity at its core.

Yana B.: What is the philosophy behind your approach?

Camelia E.: The company motto is The New Art Experience; clear legal foundations however are critical for both parties, only then, we are able to assist on the development or extension of innovative artistic leadership or legacy on behalf of our clients.

Yana B.: Tell me about one of your clients you recently worked with. What was the company’s brief, your strategy and the result?

Camelia E.: In a very generic format as an example of a recent assignment, pursuant to an exclusive mandate by a world renowned art collector, we placed his important Picasso cubist painting in an other important collection. In this case, we formulated a private sale strategy, tailor-made to the client requirements, introduced the artwork within two weeks, and through a precise and efficient process based on the roadmap, the transaction was consummated in one month. We controlled and provided the necessary services for our client from the private sale to the delivery of the artwork and final payments.

Yana B.: Are you involved in any other projects?

Camelia E.: Specifically speaking, we are currently involved in a very exciting public art project which will be a major cultural shift for the future of public arts. It question contemporary art and its new audiences reach, its new environments possibilities and all by retaining artistic integrity. Its truly innovative and we are the exclusive partners of two major corporations for this development. In general terms, however, one of the pillars of our business is art sourcing that lead to people intermediation and this often allows us to act as catalysts by connecting people from different disciplines and interests with each other, either within the platforms of our projects and assignments and-or as a continuation of what we do. The result of the these new relationships are often very rewarding for the parties while it provides us with the opportunity to be a more effective connector in a truly passionate, fun and innovative environment. Otherwise, we have just released a mobile app, Freeb, available on the Apple Store. It is currently in a beta version and this is the simplest way for art collectors and art professionals to visualize their art purchases or art likings into the architectural context of their homes, offices or any other outdoor environments.

Yana B.: Are there any particular art mediums that sell better or hold their value better (paintings versus sculpture versus photography etc)?

Camelia E.: As the first step in the thought process, it is normally the artist that dictates appreciation of values relative to a medium, not the medium itself. However, within the works of a certain artist, there are different value brackets for canvas verses paper; or bronze verses wood or steel or fiberglass. Also, usually artists will eventually be known in the art world for their mastering of one medium over another. Artworks on those mediums by the artist will then be more sough after by collectors of that field. A canvas or a drawing by Matisse for instance is as sought after in our times, as a Jeff Koons or a Giacometti sculpture, because all are innovators in their practice. Once an artist becomes a brand because he or she was innovative at a certain period of time, the works of that artist, in whatever medium, will be sought for by the collectors and institutions who are the real customers in this field.

Yana B.: If one decides not to buy through a private treaty, where are the best places to "shop" for art?

Camelia E.: Navigating the art market is very time consuming exercise. In today’s hyper-charged art market, there are many alternative ways to purchase good art in any collecting fields, however 'Passion, fun and pleasure' with 'clarity and focus' are your best ally for acquiring art that will tend to remains timeless and make sense within a grouping.Collectors usually have leading business interests in their own sectors and little time to devote to their passion, except for dealer- collectors whose passion and business interests are tied together. Art advisers therefore, are important assets for collectors, they assist them to fulfill their discovery-oriented chase with a better reach in the art and culture of different geographical areas, and naturally, their times and expertise is professionally devoted to this chase.

Yana B.: It seems like the price of art can be so arbitrary. How do artists set the price of their pieces and how does the buyer know it’s a fair price?

Camelia E.: The fair price is the price a buyer is willing to pay for an art property, regardless of profit or pleasure; valuations can only assists you. Its not irrational to purchase a work of art as its peak value, even in excess, as most passionate collectors have done at one time or another. The result of such an exercise however, is a two edged sword. It could creates an exciting and entire new market and demand for a specific artist or perhaps sustain its previous track to the benefit of the artist and the collector, but it will also increase future purchase prices for everyone, including the collector himself. For a genuine art collector, I think buying at peak price is about patronizing a market or the work of an artist, this is the main concern, specially if he or she has a strong affinity for the artist's work. Moreover, when an art collector chase a work at auction, the chase is part of the acquisition process and can be very reassuring. Excess, auction records, lawsuits and market chase are all part of the collecting process; only your imagination and your financial resource, at a set period of time, set your limit.

Yana B.: How do you define the role of the corporate art consultant?

Camelia E.: A corporate art consultant and an art adviser servicing a corporation have two different functions. While working on behalf of corporations, art advisers' main concerns are on the development of innovative-led art programs that fulfill their clients' core corporate values and mission. Challenges remains on budget, timeline and the specific focus. Also, the approval of such initiative is complex as it goes through the senior management and many face-to-face discussions prior to reach a point. A corporate art consultant will far more fulfill the corporate aesthetics and decorative requirements within a simple procurement exercise.

Yana B.: What advice can you offer to artists who may want to work with art consultants?

Camelia E.: Regardless of being accomplished or emerging, in general, art advisers require from artists authenticity and bold, innovative and daring thinking and practices, if genuine, are remarkably treasurable. When reviewing works by emerging artists, I look for depth and breath of their insight and talent, and how powerful can they project their views of the world and their inner talent through their arts. When Caspar David Friedrich was painting his large contemplative panoramic landscape in the 19th, few realized how ahead of his time he was and he was indeed laying the foundations for modern art, a decade before this movement was named. It is extremely important to pay attention to the different aspects of an artist's work.

Yana B.: Is there an art scene, movement, or other category today that you feel has the potential to explode in a big trend?

Camelia E.: In my opinion, emerging art market performance which has grown in recent years will continue to grow significantly for the foreseeable future.

Yana B: As someone with a knack for supporting artists early in their careers who go on to be stars — like Gedi Sibony or YBA — what kind of considerations help you identify artists of such tremendous potential?

Camelia E.: Today, artists like Gedi Sibony, Alex Isreal, Fredrik Vaerslev, David Ostrowski and in this line of art are all very sought after and recommended by young art adviser and their clients. In careful examination of their works, one can see that these artists share a sense of capturing an important reflection of our today's society; its radicalism and instability. They communicate world chaos with a sense of neutrality which reflects an emptiness which appeal to their generation in a universal way.

Yana B.: Do you encourage collectors to acquire new media art? If so, what kind of pieces, and how do you help them incorporate the works into their homes?

Camelia E.: Absolutely. Mediums change with times and video art has the innate possibility of captivating audiences like no other medium. However, in order to be able to fully appreciate the essence of video art, I realize more and more that the collectors need to have already gone through certain phases of collecting first. It is as though you need to have a mature level of understanding of traditional mediums of art before you are ready to have a full grasp of the intensity and beauty of the video art. For public art projects, on the other hand, we always encourage the use of video art. In a recent public project in Dubai, we included seven video installations by emerging regional artists. The client is very pleasantly surprised by the huge reception of the video section of the project by the curious public and the strong improvement in the general aesthetic.

Yana B.: You have traveled to art capitals all over the world, and worked with artists of all nationalities. How has the globalization of the art world changed the way you encourage people to collect?

Camelia E.: Suffice to say that art knows no boundaries and artists belong to the whole world. That said, globalization has served to expose all artists to all collectors and has caused many cross cultural influences. At the end, it all depends on the collector, their individual passion or belief

Yana B.: What was the first piece you ever bought?

Camelia E.: Many years ago I acquired a major work of an emerging Iranian artist for myself. The value of this work skyrocketed within few years. I then sold it and created my venture with the proceeds of this investment.

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