Meet Alicia Puig | Art Gallery Owner, Curator & Author

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

Hi Alicia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
From working in the arts for over a decade, I realized that both emerging artists and new collectors were underserved groups in the industry. Artists who were new to selling and exhibiting faced many obstacles when it came to ‘getting their foot in the door’ and on the client side, many people I met were interested in buying art but not ready to invest ten thousand dollars on their first purchase. I saw an advertisement from an auction house recently describing a work estimated at eight thousand ‘affordable’ and while, yes, for high-level established collectors that would likely be an accessible price – that’s just not the reality for most people. But that doesn’t mean you can’t buy incredible, original artwork by talented artists until you have that kind of budget to spend – that’s where my gallery PxP Contemporary comes in. We specifically offer contemporary art at a price point of up to five thousand, but also have many options in the one hundred to five hundred dollar range.

Then, on a personal note, I knew that an online business would be the best fit for me so that I could have the flexibility to travel, work from wherever, and make money on my own terms.

What should our readers know about your business?
PxP Contemporary is an online art gallery that offers paintings, sculptures, prints, collages, and mixed media artworks by talented emerging artists from around the world. We focus on the price range of under 5K to appeal to new and young collectors and also to support promising artists who are at the beginning of their careers.

Our digital-forward model allows us to connect with artists and art lovers around the world, which has been incredibly exciting! That said, one of our biggest differentiating factors is the curation of our platform. There are numerous articles online listing ’10 places to find affordable contemporary art’ but when you visit those sites, a simple search for a colorful floral painting, for example, will return thousands of results – or more. On PxP, I’ve done the scouring for you and narrowed down a selection of investment-worthy pieces at accessible prices. We also care about the advancement of our artists’ careers and treat each artist relationship like a partnership. I’m always willing to share professional advice with artists as it relates to sales, marketing, or general career development.

The gallery recently celebrated its 4th year in business so that is a milestone I’m proud to have reached. We were also honored with a curatorial award at the Affordable Art Fair in New York City last September. That, to me, underscored the level of artists we represent. Finally, my business partner and I just released our second book, The Creative Business Handbook published by Chronicle Books. It is a guide for anyone interested in starting a creative venture and covers the entire journey from identifying your business idea to scaling once you’ve built a strong foundation. It includes advice, actionable steps, resources, and tools, as well as interviews with over ten other leading creative entrepreneurs.

As much as I appreciate the wins and success, the road to where I am today has certainly not been easy. Balancing work on multiple businesses and projects takes a lot of organization, but it mostly comes down to perseverance. It’s showing up again and again, even (or perhaps especially) after you’ve gotten rejected. Additionally, I’d say it has been important to both lean into my strengths and seek to improve where I had weaknesses. Being an entrepreneur forces you to confront your ego in unexpected ways. You’ll have to find confidence in situations where you didn’t think you had it and also pick yourself up after mistakes and missteps. Nobody else is going to do that for you.

The gallery’s motto is art you can afford to love. What I’d want others to know about my business is that you can support artists, invest in quality art and do it all on a budget that works for you. Win-win.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m biased, of course, so I’d suggest seeing art! There are numerous options, but some of my favorites are the Rubell Museum, The Bass, and Superblue.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have so many! In this instance, I will recognize Lisa Nicole Rosado, founder of We Are Women Owned (WAWO). I joined WAWO during the pandemic and it has been an invaluable experience to be a part of such an incredible community of accomplished women entrepreneurs. The other members have offered advice, support, and motivation when I’ve needed it and Lisa is the most genuine champion not only of all of the members’ companies but of women-owned small businesses in general. She walks the walk and I respect her deeply for that.

Website: www.pxpcontemporary.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pxpcontemporary/