After a life as an agent for great works of art, Michael Findlay wants us to actually see And recognize to buy them again – and maybe have a little more fun doing it. Findlay, of course, still sells art privately at the Acquavella Gallery, a role he has held for nearly a quarter of a century, long after most of his contemporaries have retired or died. At 79, he can boast that he was the first person to sell art during the boom of the 1980s – when works by Delivery van Goghsuch as the Portrait of Dr. Gachetwere sold at spectacular prices – and also survived the crisis of the 1990s.
But Findlay does not want to boast about his success in the art trade. Instead, he writes in his new memoirs: Portrait of the art dealer as a young manhe continues an unconscious project of inviting others to experience the joys and satisfactions of art. An earlier book, The value of art, remains the best explanation of how the art market really works, told in simple, unpretentious language. Its spiritual continuation, See slowly, is more of a reminder to take time to experience art without prejudice or intimidation. “The first two books were written specifically to try to strike a balance and help people,” Findlay told me from his weekend home near Goshen, New York. “By approaching collecting art, appreciating art, engaging with art, and trying to take some of the mystery away that keeps people away from galleries.”
