D.C., "there's a different sophistication,
because of the international scene. In
the East, they're more down to earth,
more ethnic."
The initial foray into art collecting
and the lack of knowledge it can ex-
pose — is intimidating for some com-
panies, consultants agree. "We live in
a very specialized society," comments
art consultant Susan Perrin. "In
general, we tend to be hesitant if
something is not in our area of
specialization."
Adds Karen Adams, an arts director
at the University of Maryland and a
former art consultant: "I have a sense
that there are many companies out
there that want art and don't know how
to go about it, how to get good
(monetary) value as well as aesthetic
value."
That's where a good art consultant
comes in. While no national organiza-
tion of art consultants exists,
who, they argue, are most concerned
with matching art colors to the office
furniture. "The consultant takes it
several steps beyond the decorative,"
says Susan Perrin.
Mary Denison in the Detroit area
even takes the definition of art consul-
tant one step further. She prefers "art
advisor." "Art consultant" is a
"generic" term, maintains Denison,
whose corporate clients include Kmart
Corporation and IBM. An art dealer
can work as an art consultant, she
noted, "but they're more like a
salesman." A bonafide art adviser,
Dennison insists, represents the client
not a particular artist or gallery. As
such, the art adviser is paid solely on
the basis of his or her time — rather
than a percentage of the value of the
artwork commissioned or acquired. In
this way, Denison asserts, "the client
has the [best] opportunity to get fine
work."
i 73% Z.',7W
The courtyard of the K mart Corporation international headquarters features
a John Piet sculpture. Photo by Balthazar Korab.
businesses can consult the phone
book Yellow Pages, or contact the
Business Committee for the Arts in
New York. Other potential sources in-
clude contractors, decorators, ar-
chitects or galleries. (If a business
would like to rent artwork, some
museums, offer this option.)
Because there are no official
guidelines for the profession of art con-
sultant, qualifications and services can
vary greatly. Some art consultants are
also interior designers.
Other art consultants are quick to
distinguish themselves from decorators
Quality was foremost for executives
at Standard Federal Bank, in Troy,
Mich., when plans for a corporate art
collection took shape in 1988. A diver-
sified financial services institution with
assets in excesss of $10 billion and
some 1,800 employees, Standard's
management wanted "dramatic, con-
temporary, high quality work" for its
new headquarters, explains assistant
vice president Vincent Carducci.
The bank had equally precise stan-
dards for the art consultant it would
select, Carducci explains. "First, we
look at their taste. Does it match up
with ours?" Next: How knowledgeable
is the individual about art? What
galleries has the consultant dealt with?
What collections has he or she put
together? Finally, Carducci notes, com-
pensation is always a consideration.
Standard's art committee — corn-
posed of the chairman of the board,
an executive vice president, vice presi-
dent for cost management, and a
senior design associate — considered
four art consultants, then selected
Phyllis Fenton of Fenton Fine Arts, Fort
Worth, Tex.
Standard's art acquisitions were in-
tended to meet several goals, including
projecting a progressive image to cli-
ents and making a dramatic aesthetic
statement that would showcase the six-
story, 450,000-square-foot building's
modern design.
As it has turned out, the bank's
$850,000 collection already has ap-
preciated in value. "It's a visible invest-
ment; the portfolio has grown," says
Fenton, pointing out that certain works
which cost $2,000 to $3,000 now are
worth $16,000 to $18,000.
"I won't do anything but investment
quality art," says Fenton. "This is art
that has a record, by artists with recog-
nizable names, whose works are in
museums and fine galleries, and have
gone to auction."
The 347 works purchased by Fenton
for Standard Federal are by noted ar-
tists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Frank
Stella, Andy Warhol and Helen Frank-
enthaler, as well as by "emerging" na-
tional names plus local artists. Not
limited to paintings, the collection
features mixed-media works including
textiles, tapestries and sculpture.
Aesthetic considerations aside, the
Standard Federal art collection works
hard for the bank as an "image
builder," Carducci stresses. The bank
gives art tours and offers its facilities for
civic and business functions. "People
who are interested in art tend to be
upscale; we want those people for our
customers," he states.
Thus, corporate art is a mix of
business and pleasure. "The day of
the installation is like a holiday,"
declares Sarah Mantis, another art
consultant. "Everyone's excited,
everyone has an opinion. It totally
changes the atmosphere." II
SPRING '90
77