Level & Co
The Upper East Side’s iconic Museum Mile has a new down-the-block neighbor with a fresh take on displaying art. Located in a brownstone at 30 East 74th Street (once owned by George E. Marcus of the famed Marcus & Co. jewelers), Level & Co is an art gallery offshoot of Masterworks, an investment platform hoping to turn the industry on its head.
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While the ownership of great works has typically been reserved for the ultra-wealthy, Masterworks gives anyone the opportunity to buy a share in a piece that has been purchased by the platform. Known as fractional art ownership, the business model aims to democratize art as an investment. As many a collector may know, works of art hold value over time, and can be more stable investments than stocks. Further, pieces by known artists tend to increase in value over time.
But if one purchases a share in their favorite Agnes Martin piece, what do they get other than the knowledge of partial ownership and the promise of a potential payout? Level & Co’s President, Evan Beard, aims to give co-owners something more traditional art collectors may take for granted: access to the art itself.
With visits available by appointment only, the gallery “provides clients the highest levels of discretion and confidentiality for exclusive curated viewings,” per their website. The gallery will also offer clients market analytics that will help them understand the trends affecting their investments.
Per their website, Level & Co focuses on “Post-War and Contemporary art from abstract expressionism to neo-expressionism to 21st century masters,” and their roster of artists includes titans of the field that include Warhol, Picasso, Judd, Rothko, Ruscha, and Basquiat.
