When celebrities like Diddy and Gwyneth Paltrow want to make a major investment in a new work of art, they turn to their trusted art advisor, Maria Brito. The self-described luxury lifestyle consultant accompanies her high-profile clients to fairs like Art Basel, weaving through paparazzi, fans, and other collectors with her art world version of an umpire's eye for the perfect piece.
Brito has been working with Diddy for the last four years, helping him purchase artwork that fits his taste, compliments his current collection, and is predicted to rise in value over the years. Her favorite purchase with the rapper was a neon piece by contemporary British artist Tracey Emin, which reportedly cost around $95,000 in 2011. We talked to Brito about working with Diddy and other clients and asked her about the current state of the art world.
When we are physically inside of the convention center, it is a very intense experience where Diddy's my client and I have to dedicate myself to him.
How did you become Diddy’s art advisor?
He was introduced to me because he was looking for an art advisor. It’s not that he didn’t know about art; Sean is a very smart person. The purpose of having an art advisor is to help people form a coherent art collection that gets stronger in value over time. It's about forming a collection that is curated of worthy pieces that have something to say to each other.
Diddy definitely liked my approach. He liked that I also have a business intuition, not just a theoretical approach to the art. I have a way of seeing things that is also very intuitive. He liked that I had all those things, and he hired me.
One of the coolest things that we have done together was when we bought that Tracy Emin neon that says, “I Listen to the Ocean and All I Hear Is You.” That was selected to be on the cover of Art Basel Magazine last year in celebration of Emin's first show at MOCA Miami. It meant a lot to me when I saw it on the cover of the magazine because they could have chosen anything else. It’s a very important work in Tracy’s body of work, but it’s also a very important piece overall in the world of contemporary art.
The importance of an art advisor is like a double check, the same way a lot of people use financial advisors or bankers to structure deals. You need somebody to really validate what you’re doing and to make sure you’re not getting into an illegal trap or buying a work that is worthless or that you’re not being tricked by a gallery.
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How do you balance your personal taste with your client’s?
My general tendencies are colors that are fun and playful. I usually favor figurative over abstract, but that doesn’t mean I impose my taste on clients because that would be unfair. Part of what I do is actually also being very open-minded with respect to what my clients like. I make sure that I put myself in the shoes of my clients and I see what they see.
I know already more or less what Sean likes and present things to him every now and then. If I point out a piece of art and say to him, “Look at this," or "Think about this,” and tell him that this artist had a show two years ago or this artist is an up-and-coming Brooklyn-based artist, he has more of an interest than just a first intuitive love.
I balance technique and medium because you don’t want anything to look like a show room, and you don’t want anything to look like it’s overly done.
What do you look for when you’re creating a coherent collection?
You have to balance artwork. For example, you’re not going to put a neon next to another piece that has strobe lighting because it’s going to look like a night club. Next to it has got to be a large piece of black-and-white photography or an abstract painting. I balance technique and medium because you don’t want anything to look like a show room, and you don’t want anything to look like it’s overly done. You want it to look good, and you want it to look that it was well thought out, but you also don’t want it to look like it’s an exhibit that an artist put together, like everything is the same.
I want the artwork to have enough room to breath. If you have a big house, it’s not a big problem. But I have other clients who have smaller spaces, and then we have to either rotate what they currently have or balance the space, and unfortunately sometimes you have to give up on certain pieces.
What is it like going to an art fair with someone as famous as Diddy?
It’s fun and crazy and wild. I’ve been doing Art Basel with Diddy for a long time now. Art Basel is a high-profile event. Some people want to go up to him to take his picture. Some people want to hug him and kiss him. Some people want to get an autograph, and I think he’s actually pretty cool with that, but if we were to stop with every person, we would not pass the first booth of Art Basel.
He walks very fast, and he has security guards with him and an assistant, so it’s a big group of people. When he sees something that he loves or if I tell him something that resonates with him, he wants me to negotiate it on his behalf. Things happen very quickly from then on. In specific cases, I had to negotiate things for him for days or weeks, but that’s after the fair. When we are physically inside of the convention center, it is a very intense experience where he’s my client and I have to dedicate myself to him.
I know a lot of people walk into those fairs just to walk, and it’s bullshit—not him. He’s really learning, he’s really seeing, he’s paying attention, and he’s listening. He’s very interested in what’s going on. It’s not bullshit. It’s real. It’s a very rewarding experience for him, and it’s very good for me to feel that somebody that has done so much in his life has that degree of curiosity and interest in contemporary art.
He’s really looking for things that fit the collection and steering it in a way that it makes sense, that makes the collection gain value over time. I also feel that he learns more and more each year.
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The power of art is so incredible because you have the opportunity to see the world through different eyes, the eyes of an artist.
Is this participation of rappers, musicians, and celebrities in the art world a new trend?
What I think is happening is that the art world became a lot more mainstream. It used to be a very closed bubble. My theory is that the Internet and the art fairs changed all that. They somehow make the whole process a lot more democratic. If you go on the Internet now, you can buy really good artwork on websites like Artsy and Art Space. You can even buy art on Amazon and even eBay. People have that outlet, and that makes people want to know more.
The other thing is that now there are art fairs everywhere, every week. It levels the playing field. It trickles down in every capacity for celebrities and non-celebrities alike. The size of the art market nowadays has probably tripled from what it used to be 10 years ago. And obviously celebrities want to be at the forefront of things, so you know the art market represents something that you covet.
I think that art should be enjoyed by everybody. I understand that not everybody can become a great collector, but nowadays there are more and more avenues for people to be a part of it.
I just think the power of art is so incredible because you have the opportunity to see the world through different eyes, the eyes of an artist. You have the opportunity to live with things that elevate you, that make you think, that engage your mind and your heart. I couldn’t think of anything better to enhance the way that we have been living, the way society is.
