Meet Laura Galbán | Art Dealer and Art Appraiser

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Galbán and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, why did you pursue a creative career?
I spent most of my childhood visiting museums and cultural institutions. My mother is an art historian and my father a writer as well as both of them college professors so I grew up surrounded by culture. During my teenage years, I would visit museums and churches for fun and until this day it is one of my favorite things. I was 7 years old when I decided to be an archaeologist and then attending New York University decided to study art history and specialize in Latin America with a minor in Islamic art. It is not easy to study what you love and then have a job that you love. However, after graduating from my masters in Art History at New York University I had one of my favorite jobs. I organized cultural events for a non-profit organization that promoted Latin America in the United Kingdom. I organized exhibitions, concerts, and lectures. I had to raise money for the events and promote the artists. This job was the foundation of what I have created at l’Artban. I enjoyed so much working with artists and one of my major interest is to transmit to the public the pleasure of enjoying art.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After living in London I had to move to Spain, my working life changed dramatically. I didn’t have Spanish citizenship so it was very difficult to find a job in a museum or cultural institution. I was introduced to an art dealer who specializes in secondary market. This was a great experience since I learnt a very different field, one that you don’t get to learn unless you work. I have to admit that art dealing wasn’t my favorite area but this experience helped me a lot to set up what is today l’Artban. The motivation was selling valuable works of art by international acclaimed artists so I could relax economically and have the time to prepare different ways to promote contemporary artists that I started representing. This is how l’Artban started and it has been turning in the right direction. 

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Boca Raton so I’m 1 hour away from Miami and 40 minutes to Palm Beach. I would start by showing Downtown Boca Raton, especially Mizner Park, The Boca Raton Museum of Art have lunch at Max’s Grille, my favorite restaurant in Boca and dinner in Louis Bossi. I would also take my friend to the beach I really enjoy living so close to the ocean. Since Boca Raton is so small I would take my friend several days to Miami. I miss being in a big city so Miami is exciting. We would visit the design district and the wonderful Institute of Contemporary Art, De la Cruz Collection and Wynwood area. The Perez Museum and would check the new Rubell Museum in the area of Allapattah. We would have lunch at Cuban restaurant Versailles in Calle 8. We would probably go to a concert at American Airlines Arena and dinner at the Mexican restaurant Cantina la Veinte. We would also visit West Palm Beach and the Norton Museum and have lunch at Bradley’s and we would go to Palm Beach visit the Society Of the Four Arts and have dinner in Renattos. Walkthrough Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach would also be an option.  

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I thank my parents for teaching me to follow my passion. The saying do what you love and you will not work a day on your life applies completely to me. Since it is a hard career and not the most economically stable, I have found many people not understanding what I do and on many occasions judging my decision to pursue my passion. I’m grateful to most of the artists I work with for their trust, especially Rafael Trelles, one of the first artists I started working with, for his enthusiasm and support.

Website: www.lartban.com
Instagram: @galbanlaura; @lartban
Linkedin: Laura Galban
Facebook: l’Artban

Image Credits
Point of Contact Gallery, Syracuse, NY l’Artban