A lot of us in the art biz claim that we first came to it as fans, or even collectors. In the case of Nick Leone that origin story would just be the tip of the acme iceberg. Leone’s unquenchable thirst for all things cartoons, comics and illustration led him to become one of the most noted art consultants (not “art dealer” – we’ll cover that too) of that specialty. In this episode of the Art Dealer Show, he discusses how this eventually resulted in co-owning AFA Gallery and working with some of the biggest names in character illustration (Chuck Jones, Maurice Sendak, Tim Burton to name a few.) As well we dive into how being faithful to his instincts as a passionate collector has made all the difference.
This week we welcome a new sponsor to the podcast – Art World News. For the past twenty years, they have been committed to supporting us—the professionals who source and sell art for a living. AWN reaches 9,600 members of the trade throughout North America. Their publication’s focus is to educate, inspire and inform everyone linked to the business side of art.
When I first called up their publisher, John Haffey, to pitch our podcast he did not hesitate to get behind it, which is such a great example of how they truly live by their own mission statement. Simply put, being wherever the business of art sales goes next. I’m flattered by their faith in our new show and excited about their support.