Palisades Art Consultant Helps Broaden Buyers' Perspectives

In this digital age, the Internet allows art enthusiasts to view many works with just a few clicks of the mouse. But when it comes to buying art, purchasing through the bright glow of a computer screen may not be the best option.

Pacific Palisades art consultant Ann Harmsen aims to make that sales process easier, whether buyers are purchasing on the Web or in person, as she prefers. Her clients include novices and experienced art collectors, and with both groups, she advises them how to make smart choices and investments.

“I’m very old school," said Harmsen. "I really think art is to be seen in the first person. People are very misled when they are looking at artwork through the computer screen."

Technology has enabled the art world to stay connected, changing the way people buy and sell art, Harmsen says. With the Internet, galleries can show their collections worldwide and artists are able to announce shows to an audience that otherwise wouldn't have heard about them.

“Technology is really a tool that so many artists are using in a variety of ways, both in the dissemination of work but really in the making of their work. It’s really an interesting moment and it’s fantastic,” said Harmsen.

Although Harmsen doesn't believe that the Web is the best method for selecting a major art purchase, she does recommend it for research. 

Harmsen, a fourth generation Californian who grew up in Brentwood, said it took only one art history class at UC Berkeley to point her toward her passion. 

Early on in her career, Harmsen wanted to do curatorial work and started interning for the Municipal Art Gallery, a city of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs facility. As an intern, Harmsen put together one of the first extensive, pre-digital slide registries of young contemporary artists in Southern California. Soon Harmsen began receiving calls requesting her expertise on which artists to look out for and where to go for art events.

Harmsen went on to help found the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and she consults for 20th Century Fox and the American Jewish University. She also teaches a class called Insight, which uses Los Angeles venues to discover the city and learn about contemporary art practices.  

Harmsen says she loves introducing her clients to new and different perspectives, which often means taking them out of their comfort zones. She has taken clients to small-budget exhibits in Chinatown, galleries they hadn't considered visiting previously.

“It all is part of collecting. You have to become comfortable with going to all these venues,” said Harmsen.