Meet Michelle Azout | Art Advisor

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

Hi Michelle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have never been an entrepreneur – far from it; in fact, I have spent most of my career working in very large museums (such as the Guggenheim) and institutions (such as Stanford University) who have robust infrastructure and resources. However, upon moving to Miami during the pandemic, people started to approach me to see if I could help them find art for their homes. People were spending more time than ever in their spaces, and wanted to incorporate more art into their lives. I noticed there was an opportunity to be a matchmaker of sorts: I could use my expertise and knowledge about art and my relationships with emerging artists and galleries in order to recommend beautiful (and meaningful) works of art to clients. This was the impetus of my business.

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?
I run a boutique art advisory which means I help people buy art for their homes and offices. Many people want to buy contemporary art but feel intimidated or have no idea where to start and often don’t have time to research interesting options within their desired budget. I manage the entire process for my clients: mapping out the spaces, helping them discover new artists, overseeing the acquisition of the work, and finally in the shipping, framing and installation. What sets me apart is that I make this process very easy and most importantly fun and enjoyable for my clients. When possible, I love to take my clients to artist’s studios so they can meet the artists and see the incredible spaces where the work is made. Ultimately, my clients end up with great pieces of art that enrich their daily lives.

What makes me most excited about my work is supporting emerging artists. I love that when my clients buy a piece of art, it means that a living artist has received income to continue to create his or her work. Additionally, for each artwork acquired through my advisory, a contribution is made to ICA Miami’s Narratives program. Narratives is an outreach program that offers children from underserved communities in Miami an opportunity they otherwise would not have to create art and spend time at the museum. Having worked in similar programs before in my previous roles, I know how critical these programs are for the community so I am really excited to be able to support the ICA and their outreach.

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.
Miami is such a dynamic city and since I moved back, I am continually impressed with how much the city has blossomed in the last few years. You can have a great day in Little River – stop by Nina Johnson Gallery, carve out some time to do some studio visits at Fountainhead, and enjoy a great vegan lunch at Plantisserie; for dessert, you could stop at Cindy Lou’s for the most delicious cookies. I think Design District is really great too for walking around, eating (Jaffa or MC Kitchen), shopping (Isabel Marant and Re/Done) and seeing the public art installations such as the neon by Rirkrit Tiravanija near OTC; the ICA Miami is also located in the Design District, and it’s always fun to stop by and see their latest shows. In Allapattah, the Rubell Museum and Superblue are a must, followed by an al fresco meal at Leku. Last, I think Vizcaya is really special so I would definitely go there followed by lunch at Bellini in Coconut Grove.

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 think recognizing other people who have been instrumental in your own success is so important. I am fortunate to have had many mentors (specifically women in the art world) who have been incredibly generous with their time in order to help guide me. When I was in college at UM, I had an internship at MOCA in North Miami and I worked for Donna Fields, who ran their PR department at the time. Although I was a student, and it was my first museum internship, Donna encouraged me to get involved in a significant way from the start: I was writing press releases, attending important meetings and working at various high-profile events. I learned so much! Though 16 years have passed, I always consider that experience and her mentorship in particular, the formal inception of my career in the art world; through the years, we’ve kept in touch and we still remain close. In fact, we went to lunch in the Design District just the other day!

Website: www.michelleazout.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelleazoutartadvisory

Image Credits
Carlos Aristizabal & Zina Perlman (interiors)