It's 10 o'Clock.  
Do you know where
your art is hanging?

How many of you
artists,  dealers,  gallerists, estates,  auction houses
know — really know —
where  the art  you've sold   is currently hanging?

And if you do know where your artwork is — right now
Are you happy about it???

Late last summer, in NYC,

I met up with an old college friend,   —
a fellow MBA —
who was in townNYC, to see the Armory Show.*

* The Armory Show is 1 of
the art world's   biggest —
and to me, 1 of its best — fairs,
and — to me — 1  of its   best.
held annually in New York.

We are both art-loving businesspeople...
so, of course, when we talk,
we talk  art & business...


She's from Tech; I'm from Wall Street.
She's a serious art collector, who lives for international art fairs.
I've lived in art neighborhoods all around the world,
from Brazil to Brussels. She cut her teeth in Tech; I got my start on Wall Street.
She's a Southern belle; I'm a native New Yorker.
She's a serious art collector, who lives for international art fairs.
I've lived in art neighborhoods all around the world — from Jardins  to  St-Germain...

The conversations are always electric,
 The conversation is always electric when we meet...

and it sizzled even more
because of who she brought along:
 but this one was especially sizzling, because of who she brought along:
an actual Artist — a famous one, too. an actual Artist — and a famous one at that.

Though this fellow didn't say much,
what he did say has been  on my mind  ever since...

"In my country, I am considered a 'star,' right?"
(Believe me:  he said this modestly... like he still couldn't accept  his own  good  fortune.) as though he couldn't quite
comprehend his own talent & good fortune.)

"I am grateful for my success,
but how many people back home
have ever seen any of my artwork? — in real life?"

"...Nothing of mine is in our national museums.
All of my paintings are in the hands
 of American & European collectors..."

We  were at  a café   off of* 5th  Avenue, sitting in the sun,
with  the roar of   Midtown at our backs;
and  the quiet of  Central Park
up ahead...    & the Upper East Side   ahead.


* In fact, we were  off of   5th Avenue,  on 57th Street,
which is known as — no joke — Billionaires'  Row.

"Your paintings,"
my friend said,
gesturing towards the buildings all around us,
"are probably hanging on the walls  
of some Manhattan collector
on this street..."

"Or worse,"  I added —
(and instantly regretted),
"your paintings  could be packed away
  in some  storage space
in Queens."

The table fell silent.
I  felt awful   (me & my bloody sarcasm!  ).
Luckily, our sweet waitress arrived, and we We got up to leave.

But a question still hung in the air...
And it inspired this project:

How many of you
artists, art dealers, art gallerists, auction houses know
— really know —
where  the art  you've sold   is currently hanging?

And if you do know where your artwork is — right now
Are you happy about it???

The 10 o'clock Project uses tools
from Finance to Philosophy
to help answer a simple question:

" Do you know where your art is hanging?  "

The 10 o'Clock Project aims to answer a rather straightforward question:
" Do you know where your art is hanging?  "


We use tools  from Finance to Philosophy to help

artists

auction houses

art consultants

private collectors

private collectors

private museums

public museums

art galleries

art dealers

artists' estates

sovereign wealth funds

cultural centers

around the world.

address a simple question with complex ramifications:

We work with institutions — great and small — to address a simple question with complex ramifications:

Who is — or isn't — an ideal buyer for a work of art? Should artists care who owns their art? What rights of refusal are artists entitled to? If a famous collector owns your work, but no one sees it, is that considered a positive outcome? Should great art always flow towards the deepest pocket?
 What happens when countries   can't afford  the works of their own countrymen & women? Can art deals be structured differently? to allow for different kinds of ownership? Is it better for art to be rarely shown in a grand museum, or proudly displayed in a small one? What duties, if any, do art buyers bear?

The 10 o'Clock Project
  is the 1st   initiative of  
18billionaires.com,
a Finance & Strategy company for the Art world
run by a Manhattan-born, French-educated, MBA-Hedge funder.

18billionaires  borrows tools   from Venture Capital,   French Law,  European football,  &  more
to help the Davids of the art world beat the Goliaths — or at least, compete with them : )

18billionaires   helps the Davids of the Art world beat the Goliaths — or at least, compete with them : )


Think we can help you out?   Contact us at bonjour@18billionaires.com