Creative Art Partners: Brian Ludlow

I think we had uncommon wisdom – the common wisdom, among the art world, was that there was no market for renting art. I saw something different and I was really driven to prove it. Paul Graham talks about how a blurry vision beats a clear one. I think that was the case for us. We knew we were on to something in general, but we’ve never limited our vision by defining it too precisely. In the beginning we knew one thing, that renting an art collection helped you sell your home faster. Fast forward, that’s still true but we now know renting art helps a much wider and continuously expanding group of clients now organized across eight other divisions.

We’re focused on the actual physical journey. Not just the online discovery of artwork, which is where a lot of other companies start and stop. We’re innovating by building products that solve every friction point from the beginning of a client’s art journey all the way to an artwork getting installed on their wall.

There is a simple yet illustrative quote from my favorite interior decorator, Jacques Grange – “art brings feeling into houses.” If you’ve been in a home with great art then you know exactly what he is referring to.

CAPHome is one of our most exciting and fastest growing products. We believe living with great art should be easier than it conventionally has been. We prioritized all the un-met needs of people who wanted to get into art but were uninspired by the traditional methods.

It is the simplest way to become a collector. We give people the ability to instantly and seamlessly add a fully curated art collection to their home. Whether they lease art for a set period of time, lease towards purchase, or take their time and decide along the way, the program lets them collect, rotate and refresh on their terms.

We have an incredible curatorial team. Every member works across all divisions. I think they would say there are far more similarities in their curatorial approaches to those different types of projects than differences. For both they are investing significant time getting to know the client and understanding their vision and goals. They’re balancing competing view points and working to find a throughline. And perhaps most importantly, they are reflecting the client’s wants while also encouraging them to take chances.

Go into the journey with an open mind. Be willing to consider things you may not have expected you’d like. The artworks that our clients often end up loving the most are the ones they took the biggest chances on, the ones at the margins of their initial comfort zone.

We’re deeply involved in the LA art culture. We work closely with and collect an amazing group of LA based artists and we support local galleries and institutions. In every city that we operate in we create a connection to its local art culture. It helps us build relevant and meaningful art programs.

The re-design of Zero Bond private members club in NYC. We collaborated with Studio Sofield and Sophia Cohen (Siren Projects) on a really exciting new rotation of our member art program.

We collaborated with Sophia again on a very buzzed about new gourmet grocery store in Tribeca called Meadow Lane (by Sammy Nussdorf). The entire curated art collection is food themed and it’s been a viral hit.

We’re also getting ready for our third partnership with PS Private Suites in Dallas at DFW Airport. Along with the Los Angeles and Atlanta airport locations, we introduce thousands of travelers every week to a rotating collection of incredible international artists.