Questroyal 2009

overpaying when I acquired these small but bril- liant twilights; however, quality always prevails. I had paid about $50,000 for each and sold them in the $60,000 range. Today, twenty years later, I would not hesitate to pay amillion dollars to have any one of them back. Time is a great friend to the discerning collector. I will not deny a twinge of regret, but on the whole I have no complaint. I am engaged in the pursuit of treasure, and the dealer must often sacrifice treasure found for treasure yet to be discovered. Hunting The Park Avenue address, the sophisticated staff, and the title “art dealer” provide an incomplete description of what I do and what my gallery is about. Inmany ways, I am like a hunter,masked in a suit and armed with currency, in search of beauty. Let me give you a sense of just how exciting it can be. — lms, fall 2007 One October evening at nearly ten o’clock, the phone rang. It was a “picker,” someone who hunts in far corners of the countryside in search of that special painting dealers will pay dearly for. He had found one, and, by his description, it was rare and of a type I had longed for. He would not arrive until midnight, and I was to meet him on the corner of Madison Avenue and Seventy-sixth Street. There was nothing that I would not sus- pend, delay, or cancel to see this painting. And whenmidnight came, I saw the work illuminated by street lamp. I wrote the check and, with the painting securely under my arm, walked back to the gallery wondering which of my clients would hang it in their home. Then there was the plumber who out- guessed the antique dealer. Seeking a gift for his wife, he walked into a little antique shop and noticed a small painting propped against the wall. It was a view of Venice, and it was a gem. He asked the dealer if he knew who painted it. The dealer pointed to the signature and said he did not recognize the name. He thought it might be Mc Chase and assumed it was no one special. The plumber asked the price and immediately wrote a check for four hundred dollars. He got into his car and drove around the corner. My cell phone rang, and I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice: “Lou, I have a little painting of Venice, and it’s signedWmChase. He is one of the greats, isn’t he?” He drove three hours to get it to the gallery. It wasn’t just a Chase—it was a great one. I asked my highly culturedplumber what hewould accept for the painting. He said that he would rely on my sense of fairness. “If I give you one hundred times more than what you paid and I sold it for twice that amount, would that be fair?” The only part of the deal he was confused about was how to release me from his giant bear hug. Sometimes you can find treasure at other galleries, and sometimes you have to fight for the prize. It was early January and many of the New York dealers had gone south to the Miami and PalmBeach fairs. I ventured into a local major gal- lery and instantly noticed a fascinating Hudson River school painting. I knew the dealer quite well, but he was inMiami so I asked his assistant to quote a price. It was fair, and I accepted at once. She askedme to come back the next day to complete the sale because she wanted to review it with the owner. Late the next afternoon, I was at my upstate office when I received a phone call from the dealer. He said his assistant misquoted the price, and it was actually $50,000 higher. I said that I understood and would consider it at Consider this your treasure map. There is a great deal to be discovered within these pages and much more at the gallery. — lms, fall 2003