above: A photograph from Katherine Wolkoff’s Deer Beds series hangs in a contemporary Darien living room, sourced by Trove Art Advisory.
INTERVIEWS WITH SARAH CETRULO OF TROVE ART ADVISORY AND HEATHER GAUDIO OF HEATHER GAUDIO FINE ART
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANE BEILES AND MB PRODUCTIONS
SARAH CETRULO
Trove Art Advisory
Tell us how you got started and the path that led you to art advisory.
I worked at both Christie’s and then Sotheby’s auction house in New York for over ten years, and fell in love with the constantly evolving world that surrounds art. The convergence of business and beauty is fascinating to me. I’ve collected art for as long as I can remember in whatever capacity I was able to, and after I left the auction world, friends asked me to find art for their own homes.
Soon I was collecting art for friends of friends, and Trove grew organically from that space.
How does your process work with clients?
After I’ve seen the space the art will inhabit, I like to ask clients to show me examples of art they’re drawn to. It’s also helpful to know how they want to interact with the art and its purpose. Based on my measurements and our discussions, I’ll source a number of options for the client to review. Ideally, we can visit galleries together, experience the art first-hand, and speak with the gallerists who represent those artists. In the end, it’s exhilarating to see an art placement in a home or business that makes you stop and take notice.
What is a typical working day for you?
We moved across country this past fall, so I’ve transitioned my routine now that we are in California. Since moving to Montecito, I’ve spent time exploring galleries on the West coast and cultivating relationships with galleries and artists previously unknown to me. I follow exhibitions on the East coast and abroad via email and spend much of any working day looking at beautiful art. It really is my dream job!
What are some of your favorite places to discover new art/artists?
Attending art fairs is a great way to see a large amount of art in varied mediums and at multiple price points. Just getting out on the street and visiting galleries is also a wonderful way to stay on top of the evolving market. In recent years, I’ve found amazing artists through Instagram, which in turn will lead me to a new gallery, which then leads me to discover new artists previously unknown to me.
Has your advisory role changed the way you view interior design?
In my opinion, interior design is its own art form, and I love working in both spaces: design and fine art. I’d like to think Trove is uniquely positioned to know how art and design converge so that they complement each other. Interiors without art lack soul, and art alone in a white room lacks purpose; together, they challenge the viewer, create a story, and leave a lasting impact.
What is the best collecting advice you’d give to people just starting out?
Try to expose yourself visually to as much art as possible. Visit galleries, museums, and art openings. Ask questions. Notice how the art makes you feel, and try to experience varied pieces in all mediums, styles, and sizes. Ask more questions. Find an artist whose work all at once challenges you and makes you smile, and try a piece on approval in your home. If you can’t let it go, then you know it’s found its home.
Do you have a favorite project/piece to date?
All of them! I’ve never helped a client purchase a piece of art that I wouldn’t gladly welcome into my own home. I fall in love with certain pieces of art, and when the client does as well, it makes for a wonderful collaboration.
Which artists are inspiring you these days?
It’s easy to be inspired looking at art all day, but it’s hard to choose favorites! As far as current exhibitions that caught my eye, I love the work of Yulia Iosilzon on view now at Carvalho Park in Brooklyn. Her large-scale canvases are an explosion of color and movement. They are both whimsical and dramatic, extremely modern but with ancient symbolism. I’d also love to add a piece by Christy Matson to my personal collection. Her abstract textural weavings are incredible, and she’s in a group show right now at Philip Martin Gallery in LA.
HEATHER GAUDIO
Heather Gaudio Fine Art
Tell us how you got started and your about background in the art world.
I’ve been in the art world for as long as I can remember. I attended art school at the Scuola Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence and Smanta Fe, NM, and earned my BFA. My first job out of college was at Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. When I moved to New York, I continued working in the art world, where I served as Director at Forum Gallery. Once I moved to Connecticut, I started my own art advisory business and in 2011 opened Heather Gaudio Fine Art in a small space in downtown New Canaan. Since then, the gallery program, exhibition space and collector base has grown. Today, we have over 40 artists on our roster, feature six to eight exhibitions a year and participate in art fairs. We also work with other galleries and private dealers to find specific works collectors are seeking.
How does your process work with clients?
We like to be approachable, creative, and flexible with our clients, so customer service is high on the list. While we are a fine art gallery representing a roster of artists which we exhibit and place in private and public collections, that is one aspect of what we do. When it comes to our clients, we spend a significant amount of time viewing the art with them in the gallery and at their homes, educating them (and ourselves) on their tastes and what they respond to. We speak about the artwork, the artist’s process, and their trajectory. Many times, these clients seek to grow their collection, and we work in partnership with them, attending art fairs together, working with other dealers and galleries and recommending new additions to their collection. We have placed blue-chip secondary-market art works as well. I would say that is far from the norm with traditional galleries.
How has the art world changed since you started? How much does social media play into its evolution?
The art world has certainly grown and shifted in the last two decades. Certainly, contemporary art and emerging artists have a bigger role than they did when I started. A positive change has been that it has become more inclusive. We are seeing more diverse racial and social perspectives and representations. Also, non-traditional mediums and materials have become more visible in the contemporary artworld. Recently, social media has taken a bigger platform, particularly since the pandemic, when the world shut down access to seeing art in person. I would say what has not changed, though, is the preference for people to see and experience work in real life and not just through a digital screen.
What’s the best collecting advice you’d give to people?
There should be a connection to the work. Collect what you love. Quality over quantity, and that doesn’t necessarily have a price tag associated with it. You can take your time filling your walls, it doesn’t all have to happen at once.
How do you balance your personal taste with your client’s?
It is a conversation and a collaboration with input of the client and the insight into the market from myself and the gallery team.
Are there specific things you look for when building a cohesive collection? It’s on a case-by-case basis. No two collectors are alike. It’s a relationship that develops and evolves over time.
What makes a good art advisor?
Being approachable and open-minded. The key is to listen and be sensitive to the lifestyle and direction the clients are going in. Having solid relationships with clients, artists, other dealers is fundamental. Also educating ourselves, as we, too, learn in the process. We have been known to go to the ends of the earth to look for that one elusive artwork or object the client is seeking.
What’s a typical working day for you?
There is no typical day. We go on studio visits, attend art fairs, plan exhibitions, and take artworks to clients. Many times our very structured agenda for the day can change on a dime when a client walks in and wants to see have a conversation and see artwork. Lunch typically happens at three o’clock.
What’s the biggest challenge to your role?
Not having enough hours in the day.
Dream project?
We have been fortunate to work on dream projects already, including placing artwork in a state-of-the-art Children’s hospital in Virginia and corporate collections, where art was central to their mission. We have also placed artwork in magnificent homes (and even yachts!) all over the country and abroad. But I would say the dream is about enrichment and enhancing the lives of others through art.
