Art Dealer :: essays research papers

ART DEALERBy age five, Michael Irvin loved dodge and museums but, in retrospect, his was no schoolboy infatuation. Today, his dedication to objets dart has do him one of the most sought-after art dealers in Southern California. The wares of his perenial care for hunt span his clients estates and summer homes, private planes and yachts anchored in Newport Beach and four-card monte Carlo. But Irvin is not simply a sweeping art dealer, for this snazzy art connoisseur describes his work as part psychologist, part art consultant, and he uses his expertise to interpret and translate his clients artistic expressions."Many of my clients already have everything. Luxury cars, beautiful jewelry, clothes," said Irvin, a rugged 39-year-old who resembles a bronzed and t wholeer Tom Cruise. "Their homes are their calling cards, and these homes command exquisite art."These demands fill a comprehensive understanding of art history, and celebrities like Dr. Phil McGaw and Orange Countys elites regularly call Irvin. His client roster is a veritable whos who of OC fellowship and includes a top Microsoft executive and a Saudi princess. Unlike tralatitious art dealers who simply locate art for their customers, Irvin consults with clients who have little meter to research and are unsure of their decorative choices. He relies on his elongated database of artists and experts amassed over a decade of work, and buys directly from the source at wholesale prices."Michael has a solid grasp of what his clients want," said Sheldon Harte of Harte Brownlee & Associates, a renowned interior design firm in Laguna Beach. "Hes the best in the business." Despite the posh imagery, Irvin, said his daily routine is anything but glamourous. His typical day involves unloading and carrying heavy canvases, wood panels or sculptures in all shapes and sizes. But Irvin doesnt complain. The son of a Dallas fireman, Irvin grew up in Texas and was first-class hono urs degree exposed to opulance and excess during a stint as a chauffeur for Texas oil tycoons. He later worked as a caterer at the mansions of Stanley Marcus, of Neiman Marcus subdivision stores, and society mavens like Anne Bass."I became acclimated to fine things Id never seen as a kid," said Irvin, who speaks with a slight, charming Southern accent. "It was a lifestyle I wanted for myself."Irvin went into business moving fine art to athletes homes in carbon monoxide gas and Califorina, then settled in Irvine in 2000 and worked at an art trend in Laguna.