Maria Brito quietly but firmly established herself as one of New York's most successful art consultants. This success is quantifiable and highly visible, although more important than her 142,000 Instagram followers are providing more than $150 million in acquisitions for Oscar-winning actors, Grammy-winning musicians and financial directors at Colo. What makes her story so compelling, however, is that she has acquired art from corporate law and for the past fifteen years she has navigated the boom and rage cycles of the market with the stable hands of strategists. We connected with our consultants before the New York City Art Fair to bring her thoughts on the art market increasingly shaping economic and political volatility.
Despite the doom and foundational headlines, Brito is confident and reports that her clients (mostly Americans, many financial sectors) are full of energy next season. “We speak the same language,” Brito told Observer. “We can talk about ratios, we can talk about Alphan and Deltas.” She also works with collectors in creative industries such as fashion and architecture, which brings a more instinctive, passion-driven approach to collection. “It's fun to work with people who are very different to the world. But even if they're not slippers, they don't want to see the value of the job drop.”
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Brito describes her role as a translator, strategist, and advocate. “Art consultants bridge the gap between artists, galleries, collectors and institutions, helping clients make informed acquisitions to match their personal tastes and long-term value,” she said. “In an increasingly complex and opaque market, consultants bring clarity, context and acquisition. We track market trends, understand historical significance and build collections with intellectual integrity and financial strength. We not only buy art, but also build legacy.”
Still, she admits that coping with the everyday coolies that declares the market crash is a challenge. Her clients are more cautious and selective, but far from outside the competition. “These customers, especially those in the financial industry, are very active in 2020, 2021 and 2022 – they buy a lot of art!” Brito said. “There's more selective now. I see that they're willing to pay higher prices, but for those stable artists. They don't need to buy twenty young artists right now; they'd rather invest in artists like Rashid Johnson or Mickalene Thomas.”
Overall, she focuses on artists who show longevity and sustainability throughout her career. “Maybe they don't need to buy Jean Basquiat; we can go safely with George Condo, and these days are by no means bargaining,” she noted. “He's a great artist who has been stable for years and still has a long trajectory, as we said for Alex Katz or Johnson.” Of course, even stacked resumes and biennials, if market demand doesn't follow, it doesn't necessarily justify investment. “I'm looking for a long-term career that can be measured, and over time, artists have been proven on multiple levels – it's justifying a lot of spending. It's hard to convince my clients that artists who started yesterday deserve this kind of money unless they're a phenomenon, but it does happen, but very little.”
However, Brito made it clear that the price corrections at auctions would not always be reflected in major markets. The main rule is that when something goes up, it can never retreat. But sold-out shows are less common now, even with one click on the name, and heads like Bogo deals (buy one, give one) no longer work. Here, the consultant clarified that she and her clients always refuse to play specific games.
“It's not sustainable,” she said. “Yes, some artists will be hot and there will be a long demand, maybe until they die, but it's a very, very small group. We're talking about people who are growing right now possible It's still interesting in the future. “At the end of the day, we are dealing with humans,” she added, meaning there are always unpredictable possibilities in the career trajectory.
“Personal effort and talent issues, but so are the platforms,” Brito said. “Artists need the right ecosystem: galleries, curators, collectors.” As the tsunami of this week's art fair opened, from frieze and Future Fair to Nada, Esther and Spring/Break's future fairs – we can be sure that young artists will continue to produce and display. There is no shortage of platforms, but consultants warn that few working artists will like the symbolic rise we see during the pandemic.
Brito acknowledged the latest price correction for Super Art, especially the name associated with the shared years without a career track record in support of its name. “It's a necessary correction,” she said. Like other markets, the art market is gradually breeding and shrinking. “There is clear evidence, especially in the figures in this year’s UBS and Art Basel report, a huge slowdown from the heights of the pandemic and post-pandemic prosperity.” That’s only so many collectors sold at once. “To be honest, there are very limited people who can drop $200 to $30 million a year in painless art.”
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However, a new generation of collectors is on the rise, which will inevitably reshape the rules of taste and collection. “We’re talking about a generation raised on the internet and social media, which isn’t something Picasso has to go through, right?” Brito quipped. “There are different dynamics now.”
As our world experiences earthquake changes, the art market is exactly what it takes to ride. “People need perspective,” she stressed. “We have an incredible moment of prosperity and hope everyone can take advantage of it. Now we are in a new part of the cycle.” She points to the convergence of global change: new government policies, disruptive technologies like AI and massive recalibration. “All of these elements create uncertainty, but it also brings new opportunities.”
Brito admits that today’s related content may be outdated in terms of taste, trends and valuations. Explain that she did not write a book about the trends in the art market, but about the eternal creative potential of human thought: her 2022 bestseller, How creativity rule the world.
“I want to create something that’s timeless,” Brito said. “My book is about creativity because that’s a thread that runs through art, business, innovation and reinvention. I wrote it for curious ideas: people who care about art history, bold ideas, contemporary culture and how to adapt to a world that does not stop changing. “Three years after his release, Brito is still providing keynote speeches and having meaningful conversations about the principles in this book.
Looking forward to the upcoming fairs and auctions, Brito focuses on gratitude. “This is something we all should celebrate,” she asserted. “We had a great opportunity to see all kinds of artworks, ask questions, ask prices and have access to beautiful items.” Finally? “They encapsulate the history of humanity – this is the rest of our time away. The art that is expected to sail in and pass on to future generations.”
