Path to Art Advisory: Elizabeth Fiore
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Elizabeth Fiore Art Advisory, founded by Elizabeth Fiore in 1996. Over the past three decades, Fiore has provided comprehensive art advisory services, from research and development to acquisition and collection management, while helping place works by notable artists including Beatriz Milhazes, Andy Warhol, Gordon Parks, Emily Mae Smith, Nicholas Party, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Diebenkorn, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and Leonor Fini.
Before founding her advisory firm, Fiore worked at several galleries, where she began building the extensive network of relationships that would become central to her career. She also developed a reputation for nurturing emerging artists, giving some (including Ghada Amer) their first solo exhibitions. To mark 30 years in the art advisory field, Elizabeth reflected on her career, sharing insights into her work in the art world, the lessons she has learned along the way, and the people and ideas that have inspired her.
Elizabeth in East Hampton in 1997 at one of her first residential exhibitions.
What was your first “art world” job?
I started with Pace Gallery in January 1990 as a sales assistant to Douglas Baxter, where I worked for 3 years. After Pace, I worked with Annina Nosei Gallery from 1993 to 1996. Both were incredible educations that gave me a strong understanding of the art world.
What's one lesson you learned that has stayed with you?
Be your word.
Keep your eyes and ears open. Listen. Ask questions. Observe. Stay curious.
And pay the galleries, the artists, and your vendors the moment you get paid. Your reputation is built on that.
Where did you first hear about art advising?
At Pace, through people like Thea Westreich, Beatrix Medinger, and Citibank’s art program, among others. I had remarkable examples to learn from and aspire to.
Elizabeth with Jonathan Rider and Madeline Weinrib at an Art in General event.
Who did you look up to when you were first considering art advising?
Thea Westreich and Bea Medinger. Looking back, I would have benefited from working for an established advisor like Thea or Bea before striking out on my own, but after leaving Annina Nosei in 1996, I went straight out and established Elizabeth Fiore Art Advisory. It was a leap of faith that shaped everything that followed.
What drew you to art advising over other art world careers?
Early in my career, I had the privilege of working alongside some of the most compelling artists of our time, like Richard Serra, Julian Schnabel, and George Condo at Pace, and Ghada Amer, Shirin Neshat, Julio Galán, and Adriana Varejão at Annina Nosei’s gallery. That experience lit something in me. I wanted to bring that world to collectors and be the bridge between the art and the people who would live with it. I saw the opportunity to be part of a new generation of art advisors helping to shape the field.
What advice would you give your younger self, just starting out on the path to art advising?
Experience working for others first is invaluable.
Understanding how artists think and how galleries operate gives you a foundation that nothing else can replace.
Installing a work by Jordan Nassar in a client's home.
Elizabeth with the artists Donna Moylan and Richard Artschwager.
Elizabeth giving a tour, early 2020.
