American Art Collector magazine has changed the way artists, galleries and collectors connect. It has closed the gap that previously existed in the traditional art market. Spectacular and instant SOLD! stories keep rolling in. Check out some of the highlights of the sales and connections achieved from the pages of our magazine and throughout the market.

Sold!

New Advertiser Lands Commission
The September issue of American Art Collector marked artist John Pompeo’s first time advertising in an art magazine. “Being that all my shows had been cancelled this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, I decided to go for it and try something new,” he explains. “I chose to feature one of my larger oil paintings that was a panoramic of an Amish farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about an hour from my studio. It was based on a plein air study that I did last summer.”

The work featured was a triptych measuring 30 by 90 inches across three different-sized panels. His advertisement included a black background, which made the lushly colored painting pop. “Not long after the ad was published I received an email from a new potential customer who was interested in that painting, but wanted to know if I could paint a larger version of the same scene or one similar to it,” Pompeo says. “They saw it in the magazine ad and were in the process of buying original artwork for a new house.”

The artist agreed to the commission and is currently working on the larger painting for the buyer’s home. Shortly after, he sold the original painting to one of his previous collectors. “My advice to collectors is to feel free to ask an artist if there are other options or if they do commissions,” Pompeo shares. “Most working artists I know are happy to offer commissions and work with a collector to bring their vision to life.”

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Nature’s Bounty
In the July issue of American Art Collector, Chicago-based Lotton Gallery advertised Yana Movchan’s painting Splendor of Nature. The beautiful still life painting featured a variety of glassware, china and metal teapots, as well as birds, a cat and fresh fruit and cheeses. It was a bountiful table setting against a fabric backdrop and highlighted Movchan’s penchant for detail.

When the magazine arrived to subscribers, Lotton Gallery received a call from New Jersey collectors who have purchased artwork from the gallery before. “They are twin brother collectors from New Jersey…and the story is they have to agree on the pieces that they buy,” says gallery director Christina Franzoso. After coming across this new work by Movchan, it was easy for them to add to their shared collection.

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Lifting Spirits
This year has been a challenge for many around the world, but Canyon Road Contemporary in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has interacted with a number of collectors whose motivation for buying art has been uplifting. According to gallery owner Nancy Ouimet, one story surrounding the acquisition of Lorri Acott’s sculpture Good Enough has stood out. The work, depicting two people, is accompanied by a poem by Britany Josephina that reads:

The most important day
is the day you decide
you’re good enough for you.
It’s the day
you set yourself free.

“Two partnered shoppers came in not expecting to purchase anything. The older of the two was quite chatty, while the younger of the two gazed silently toward the sculpture as we discussed the artist’s intentions with her work,” recalls Ouimet. “It seemed conversation was exhausted, when the quiet partner spoke at last, squeezing his partner’s hand, and said, ‘I never felt I could live up to anybody, ever. But I realize that is not true. I’m good enough for somebody. And I’m good enough for me.’” —