Lisa Schiff Explained

Lisa Schiff (born December 2, 1969[1] in Miami) is an American art advisor and specialist in contemporary and modern art, based in New York. She is the founder and president of SFA Advisory (Schiff Fine Art)[2] with offices in New York, Los Angeles and London.[3] Her clients included individuals, corporations, foundations and institutions.[4] Amongst her former clients was the actor Leonardo DiCaprio[5] and his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF).[6]

Education

Born in Miami, Florida, in 1969,[1] Schiff was educated in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree (art history and French) at the University of Michigan. She attended Columbia University's Reid Hall in Paris, finishing her undergraduate thesis while in residence there.[7] She continued attending law school at the Faculte de Droit de Montpellier, France. When Schiff returned to the states, she completed a Master of Arts (art history) at the University of Miami, Florida. Later, Schiff attended the Graduate Center at the City University of New York,[8] where she has advanced to doctoral candidate (ABD),[9] in art history.

Career

Schiff held her first gallery position in Paris in 1991. As a graduate teaching fellow, Schiff taught at Hunter College, the College of Staten Island, and Nassau Community College. She spent several years working for the auction house Phillips, de Pury and Luxembourg in New York as assistant to the CEO and as manager of international operations. Before she launched SFA in 2002[10] she directed Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art gallery in New York. Schiff also launched SFA offices in Los Angeles and London. She regularly consults and fundraises for the LDF and curated several charity auctions for the foundation[11] in Saint Tropez.[12]

She is also founder and head of the LDF's Art & The Environment series,[13] which presented Andrea Bowers and Tomas Sanchez at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Porky Hefer at Design Miami[14] and John Gerrard’s Solar Reserve at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).[15]

In 2013 Schiff co-founded the VIA (Visionary Initiatives in Art) Art Fund,[16] which supports individual artists, curators, and small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations that work in the contemporary arts space.[17]

In December 2017 the launch of her company One All Every was announced, which produces artist environmental protest billboards.[18]

Schiff has curated numerous exhibitions including Open Source: Art at the Eclipse of Capitalism.[19] Around this exhibition a panel discussion, featuring a key note speech from economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin, was hosted at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.[20]

As an expert on art Schiff has been quoted by the New York Times,[21] the Financial Times, Bloomberg,[22] the Guardian, and CNN.[23] In addition, she lectures and sits on panels such as discussions on the relationship between art and environmentalism at Design Miami 2017[24] and Basel 2018.[25] Her lecturing experiences include the Courtauld Institute in London,[26] Institute of Contemporary Arts in London,[27] the Art & Business Conference in New York, and Talking Galleries in Barcelona among others.[28]

Position on art advisory

"My main job is to make the art world transparent, to help empower collectors. It's such a complex world and very opaque. If you're in it every day, it becomes second nature ... When people come in, they often leave quickly because they feel threatened, make mistakes, or they're taken advantage of. So I'm trying to help people understand ... and enjoy it."

Lawsuits and closure of SFA

In May 2023, Richard Grossman, his spouse, and Candace Barasch sued Schiff for the proceeds from the sale of an Adrian Ghenie painting, claiming that Schiff had only paid them a small portion of what they were owed.[29] Barasch and her husband filed a second suit, alleging misuse of funds intended for the purchase of artworks.[30]

ARTnews reported that SFA Advisory appeared to have closed its New York offices 16 May 2023,[31] and Artnet News said that a representative for the Cromwell Place gallery complex in London told them that SFA was no longer a member there.[32] By 6 June, Schiff had begun liquidating her business.[33]

In August 2023, documents were released revealing more claims filed against Schiff by collectors and galleries for both money and missing artworks.[34] [35] [36]

Family

Schiff has a son, who is of half-Danish descent.

Affiliations

Publications

Notes and References

  1. News: The Top Nine Trending Artists Under 40 in Miami. 2014-12-01. Artsy. 2018-09-12. en.
  2. News: LDF hosts art exhibition in partnership with Pérez Art Museum Miami during Miami Art Basel. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. 2018-09-12.
  3. Web site: Specialist advisers are helping the wealthy to build their art collections. Alberge. Dalya. 2017-11-29. Financial Times. en-GB. 2018-09-12.
  4. Web site: Lisa Schiff. ArtLinked. 2018-09-12.
  5. Web site: Climate change art in Miami. Gerlis. Melanie. 2017-12-01. Financial Times. en-GB. 2018-09-12.
  6. News: At Art Fairs, Keep an Open Mind, but Watch the Wallet. 2018-03-02. The New York Times. 2018-09-12. en.
  7. Web site: Lisa Schiff HuffPost. www.huffingtonpost.com. en. 2018-09-12.
  8. Web site: Bios. sfa-artadvisory.com. 2018-09-12.
  9. Web site: Lisa Schiff Art Business Conference. www.theartbusinessconference.com. en-US. 2018-09-12.
  10. News: Art Advisor Lisa Schiff Expands Empire. 2016-05-03. artnet News. 2018-09-12.
  11. News: LDF to host Fourth Annual Auction Gala. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. 2018-09-12.
  12. News: Leonardo DiCaprio organise son quatrième gala de charité à Saint-Tropez. Madame Figaro. 2018-09-12. fr-FR.
  13. Web site: 2017 Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Gala Auction. www.2017ldfauction.org. 2018-09-12.
  14. News: Featured Partners. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. 2018-09-12.
  15. Web site: Jackson Family Wines and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation announce a .... Wine Business . 2018-09-12.
  16. Web site: The Art of Effecting Change . Alumni - Harvard Business School . 13 June 2014 . 2018-09-13.
  17. News: VIA Art Fund Apply + Contact. VIA Art Fund. 2018-09-12.
  18. Web site: ONE, ALL, EVERY. Instagram . 2018-11-16.
  19. Web site: Environmental art is on the rise – with a little help from Leonardo DiCaprio. Shaw. Anny. 2016-03-26. The Guardian. 2018-09-12.
  20. News: Open Source: Art at the Eclipse of Capitalism. ARTUNER Curated Contemporary Art. 2018-09-12.
  21. News: Commerce vs. Curation: Lessons From Today's Museum World. The New York Times. 6 April 2018 . 2018-09-12 . Reyburn . Scott.
  22. News: Billionaires Are Buying Art by Laura Owens. Will Everyone Else?. Bloomberg. 30 November 2017 . 2018-09-12.
  23. News: Art Basel 2016: Life in the 'hyperfast' lane. 2016-06-28. CNN Style. 2018-09-12.
  24. News: LDF partners with Pérez Art Museum Miami and Design Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. 2018-09-12.
  25. Web site: DesignMiami/. basel2018.designmiami.com. 2018-09-12.
  26. Web site: Review: The Courtauld Institute's #ResFest By Jose Walsh. Mar. 2018-04-27. Medium. 2018-09-12.
  27. Web site: Culture Now: Lisa Schiff and Gregor Muir. Institute of Contemporary Arts. 2018-09-12.
  28. Web site: Talking Galleries Barcelona Symposium. Talking Galleries. 2018-09-12.
  29. Web site: Art Advisor Lisa Schiff Sued for $2 Million . Artforum . 15 May 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  30. Web site: Art Adviser Lisa Schiff Faces Second Lawsuit Alleging Millions of Dollars in Fraudulent Sales . Greenberger . Alex . 17 May 2023 . 1 September 2023 . ARTnews.
  31. Web site: Lisa Schiff's New York Advisory Appears to Have Closed Amid Lawsuit Over Alleged 'Ponzi Scheme' . ARTnews . Greenberger . Alex . 16 May 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  32. Web site: Art Advisor Lisa Schiff, Accused of Fraud by Two Former Clients, Has Vacated Her London and New York Spaces . Artnet News . Kinsella . Eileen . 17 May 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  33. Web site: Art advisor Lisa Schiff is cooperating with authorities investigating her business, her lawyer says . Stoilas . Helen . The Art Newspaper . 8 June 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  34. Web site: New Documents Reveal Dozens of Claims Against Art Advisor Lisa Schiff . Nayyar . Rhea . Hyperallergic . 25 August 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  35. Web site: Lisa Schiff Revealed to Be Facing Millions of Dollars Worth of Claims from Collectors, Galleries, and More . Greenberger . Alex . ARTnews . 25 August 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  36. Web site: New Court Filings Show the Magnitude of Claims Being Made Against Disgraced Art Advisor Lisa Schiff . Lawson-Tancred . Jo . Artnet News . 25 August 2023 . 1 September 2023.
  37. Web site: Leadership. www.newmuseum.org. en. 2018-09-12.
  38. Web site: Staff & Board Swiss Institute. www.swissinstitute.net. en-US. 2018-09-12.
  39. Web site: Staff - About - The Bronx Museum of the Arts. exhibit-e.com. www.bronxmuseum.org. 2018-09-12.
  40. Web site: Rhizome. Rhizome. en. 2018-09-12.
  41. Web site: Triple Canopy - Publishers Circle. Triple Canopy. en. 2018-09-12.
  42. Web site: Dia Support. Foundation. Dia Art. diaart.org. en. 2018-11-16.

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