The art world is notorious for being opaque and aloof.
Art is shown and sold without a price made public and galleries train their salespeople to ignore viewers who enter their sacred space.
It’s enough to discourage most people.
My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is Maria Brito, award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, curator, and bestselling author on the topic of creativity.
Maria is working to demystify the art world for people who might be otherwise intimidated to enter a gallery. She is an advocate for democratizing the art world for artists, and for collectors who might be interested in buying art but aren’t yet ready to spend tens of thousands of dollars.
Maria and I talk about how she works with artists, galleries, and collectors and why she thinks there has never been a better time to be an artist.
You won’t want to miss her tips about Instagram and why you can’t afford to ignore this valuable platform (no matter how much you want to).
Highlights
- Maria’s career was born from what is missing in the art world. (2:35)
- Democratizing and demystifying the art world. (6:29)
- Making your own rules when using the free marketing tools of Instagram. (12:32)
- There is more than one right way to be an artist. (16:06)
- Maria’s daily interactions with artists. (19:20)
- How does Maria decide which artist offerings to pursue? (24:22)
- The role that a curated Instagram feed plays in discovering artists. (30:24)
- Additional online details that attract Maria to an artist. (35:27)
- A look into Maria’s new book How Creativity Rules the World. (40:15)
- Curiosity and the original artist’s mind. (46:36)
Maria Brito Quotes
- “One of the things that helped me succeed was that I was so interested in portraying artists in a different light.”
- “We have to acknowledge that, for the most part, these buckets of technology have definitely helped us democratize and streamline and find clients and find collectors that otherwise would be impossible.”
- “There hasn’t been a better time in history to be an artist.”
- “Being able to have control over how you present your message is just a gift.”
- “Artists have to treat their Instagram account as their own gallery.”
- “The point of being curious is to find more opportunities.”
Related Episodes
Laurence de Valmy discusses how she boldly reached out to art world influencers.
Art gallery director Jeremy Tessmer talks about what he looks for in artists.
Art center curator Collin Parson on how he works with artists.
Problem solving and the life of an artist with Michael Gadlin.
About My Guest
Maria Brito is an award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, curator, and the bestselling author of How Creativity Rules The World. A Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela, Brito has been selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World, and she was named by ARTnews as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world. She has written articles to help demystify the art world for numerous business and cultural publications. In 2019, she launched “Jumpstart,” an online program on creativity that has been utilized by over 1000 people ranging from artists to entrepreneurs.
Follow her on Instagram @mariabrito_ny
1 thought on “The Art Biz ep. 127: She’s the Link Between Artists, Galleries and Collectors with Maria Brito”
Wow! Fascinating woman. Her love for art and artists is so evident in this talk. She convinces me to use IG regularly. I never understood the extend of the fact that IG is a free marketing tool!
Thank you for this eye opener podcast.