FeedArt in the fast lane: a homegrown expert dishes
If you want to know what the high-end art world is really like, don’t miss Amy Cappellazzo’s talk at Nina Freudenheim Gallery on Saturday.
Cappellazzo grew up in Tonawanda, but left town early to study in New York (NYU and Pratt). From there, she launched a career that has included curatorial gigs in Miami and North Carolina, and a big role in launching the Art Basle Miami Beach fair. She ultimately landed back in Manhattan at Christie’s International, where she is International Co-Head and Deputy Chairman of Post-war and Contemporary Art. Since joining Christie’s in 2001, Cappellazzo has been responsible for contemporary art sales well into the billions.
It is not surprising that a Buffalo gal would wind up as a contemporary art maven. That is, after all, our specialty. Cappellazzo visited the Albright-Knox many times as a child and teenager and was also a young devotee of Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center. She returns to visit family regularly, and in 1999 she collaborated with me on a major traveling exhibition: In Company: Robert Creeley’s Collaborations. I spent a good amount of time with Cappellazzo back then—she co-edited a very elegant catalog for the project, which greatly benefited from her down-to-earth advice and infectious enthusiasm.
Cappellazzo’s talk is part of the Beyond/In WNY festivities, which kick off with a sensational high-wire walk in downtown Buffalo on Thursday. I suspect that the Christie’s executive will tell a tale of similar daredevil feats in the high-flying world of contemporary art sales. But she’ll also make important connections to Buffalo’s role in developing the important contemporary art of the future. The event is organized by the Buffalo ExPat Network, an action-oriented group of former Buffalo residents that aims to encourage expats to return to the city and sponsors speakers who address topical issues in Buffalo.
Saturday, 9/25, 6 p.m., Nina Freudenheim Gallery, 140 North Street (the historic Lenox Hotel).
