Art consultant Jean Efron opens up the world of working with corporations and law firms to curate and acquire their private art collections. She addresses the many considerations that go into the process of putting a private collection together, including what part branding plays in acquisition decisions and how she finds and works with artists.
“They’re advancing a brand… but at the same time, the artworks are inventive, they’re wonderful, they’re interesting. And what this client thinks is you judge a book by the cover. So people make a judgment about an individual, about a corporation, on the basis of what’s hanging on their wall. Is it interesting? Is it good? Is the quality high? What does it say about this company? So I think the biggest responsibility I have is to make sure this company is well represented, that it has the best art that it can.”
Jean Efron is the Principal of Jean Efron Art Consultants LLC, which she established in 1973 as an art advisory firm based in Washington, DC. Her firm curates collections and acquires artwork for private clientele, including corporations, law firms, and developers, as well as works with municipalities and architects on commissions and public art. Prior to establishing the firm, Efron was the Fine Arts Officer of the US General Services Administration, where she catalogued large-scale artworks commissioned by the federal government during the 1930s to 1940s. She completed a B.A. in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and an M.A. in the History of Art and Architecture from George Washington University, Washington, DC.