Annette Silber & Ligia Coelho Martins

Influential Women Autumn 2021

“Art Investment starts with Duetto Arts”

Annette Silber & Ligia Coelho Martins, Founders, Duetto Arts

Duetto Arts New York

Annette Silber and Ligia Coelho Martins, founders of Duetto Arts New York.  They are both Brazilian business women.  They grew up in an amazing environment; full of art and culture.

In Brazil they are raised in contact with nature and its colours and beauty. Everything is inspiring!

‘If the purpose of art is to elevate the human spirit, ‘Duetto Arts’ would like to think they are creating a few steps’.

Meet Duetto Arts founders

1.  Duetto Arts is a Duetto of Annette and Ligia, tell us about yourselves as gallery owners..

We have completely different backgrounds and art was not part of it.   Art permeated our lives in  different ways.  We are art lovers and art consumers in the sense that we always appreciate art in Museums, galleries, art fairs, artists studios and we have our own modest collections.  However, with time we shifted from being mere “gallery owners” to becoming more like “art connectors-networkers”, discovering new talents and connecting them globally.  It was organic to start the “gallery” because art is our passion.  It is not easy.  We live in NYC, one of the global centres of the “art world”. It is a highly competitive environment.  But when you do what you love, hard work is not so hard.

2. What is the story behind ‘Duetto Arts’

We both had business backgrounds and are art lovers. Pietrina Checcacci, an established artist with art shows all over the world, was looking for an international representative. Her artwork can be found at Christie’s auctions and at various Museums. Obviously it was a perfect match at the perfect time. We took over Checcacci’s international sales in 2015. One month later, a friend contacted us about another artist from Brazil who was looking for representation in the US. We were exploring how we would develop our passion into business, while also help promising artists. Everything was so fast. A painting by Picasso does not need a website like Duetto Arts to be sold. However, there-maybe-many Picassos out there who, at this point in time, might benefit from a little support in the right direction. Connecting these talents with the public is a great part of our job/mission.

3. In your opinion, what is the most important value for Duetto Arts as gallery owners?

There is not a single isolated value that guides us as “gallery owners”.  Maybe one of the most important values is to be compassionate and honest with the artists we work with. Nowadays, we see so many vanity galleries exploiting artists. Especially in New York City.  Every artist wants to have a show in NYC.  We have a close relationship with the artists we work with.  It is like a family, really.  We want to see them succeeding in their careers.  Other values are related to an ethical approach to business, a great network, transparency, sustainable business practices, and to offer affordable art for those who truly love art and also to offer a great experience to our clients.

4. Which ‘Duetto Arts’ artists best represent your gallery personality?

That’s a difficult question! It is like asking parents who is your preferred child.  We receive hundreds of requests every year and we have to turn them down… almost all of them.  We just select and work with artists that best represent the gallery.  We do not work at scale, preferring quality and style to quantity.

5. What are the differences between your selection of artists and their artistic styles?

We work with contemporary artists only.  So, we do have a very wide range of possibilities.  However, part of our decision-making process, when we are evaluating a new artist, is to make sure that his/her style is different from all other artists we work with. That said, we work with abstract and figurative art, we work with all medias – paper, canvas, wood, bronze – we work with academic and street artists.  So, there is really a wide range of styles in our selection.

6. In a world of e-commerce, what is your vision of gallery owners for the next 10 years?

The tech world is evolving very fast. We are being dragged by this evolution. Maybe all art sales will be done online in the near future.  However, there are many people who like to see what they are buying in person before they buy it.  Also, there are a lot of people who love to connect with the artist in person.  Therefore, we believe that we will keep selling more online than through any other channel in the near future.  However, we really love to keep connecting artists with art lovers, collectors, etc. in as many ways as possible.   We are sure that there will be new ways – ways we do not imagine yet – to work and to connect in the future.  And we propose to be part of it!

7. What magazines and websites inspire you?

There are great websites and magazines  – way too many.  We love to browse instagram to learn and to be inspired by new and upcoming artists.  We look at all the new exhibitions, Freeze fair and Museums like MoMa, MET and Whitney Museum in New York. Juxtapoz and Art Press are great outlets to check artnews.  Wired is a great magazine for technology and art.   

8. And finally Annette and Ligia, what item identifies you..

Like we said, it’s hard to pick only one.  However, the body shape sculptures like “Dolce Vita”, “Amor Fati”, “Aquatic Dance” from Pietrina Checcacci are very Brazilian in a way, very sensual.  The delicate and bold artwork from Luciana Gomez.  All her paintings are poems.  Moreover, the perfect mix of figurative and abstract, the colors from the paintings by the street artist Henrique Belotti. They are all very special to us.

‘Duetto Arts’ is a company founded by women, based in New York. In 2015, the founders and art lovers Annette and Ligia started the company to work with artists who offer a unique approach to art, and who could also offer a real opportunity for art investment and appreciation. Find out more about their catalogue in Artsy.

www.duettoarts.com

Photos copyright by: Duetto Arts