Press

INTERIOR DESIGN: D&D, PDC, Etc. (September 2008)

Design-center giant Cohen Brothers shows off its Midtown headquarters by Area.
 
The glass stair enclosure is flanked by two large-scale curlicue wall sculptures--in kelly green, navy blue, turquoise, orange, lipstick red.  "We chose 'architectural' artworks," Cohen explains.  They range from Josef Albers and Dorothy Wood to newer photography by Douglas Levere and Andrew Bordwin.  Cohen's office got an abstractly architectural Peter Halley acrylic on canvas.

NEW YORK TIMES: An Art Gallery in the Lobby (March 2007)

Rotating exhibits make a cultural attraction for tenants.
 
Placing art in commercial buildings to enliven a lobby or a courtyard is hardly a new concept...  "Lobbies are more interesting than the white-box gallery.  They have personality and pose challenges.  And it's not just about circulating art; it's about a societal trend."

CRAIN'S NEW YORK BUSINESS: Art Brightens the Leasing Picture (October 2006)

Building owners use original works as tools to draw tenants, get higher rents.
 
Art has always had a place in New York City's office buildings.  But landlords say they now consider original art a critical tool to set their buildings apart and attract higher paying tenants.  They are turning to corporate art consultants such as Art Assets to lease or commission high-quality work.

NEW YORK TIMES: Dates With an Artist: An Iraq Installation (October 2006)

An empty storefront on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn was filled with dates last week, and thus transformed into a place for reflecting on commerce, art, politics and Iraq.
 
The dates grow on palm trees and were brought to the storefront by Michael Rakowitz, an artist who also runs Davisons & Company, an import/export business. The store is an art installation and will be open only till the end of October. It sells four varieties of dates, all from California and available for purchase at $8 for a large bag.

URBAN LAND MAGAZINE: Art in Development (November 2004)

The reasons developers and building owners incorporate public art as part of a building’s interior or exterior image vary widely. 
 
“Sometimes new owners want to use art to announce a change in ownership; sometimes they want to spruce up a tired building; sometimes the building manager or the broker wants a new image for the building,” explains Barbara Koz Paley, CEO of New York City– based art consulting firm Art Assets.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Office owners turn to art... (May 21, 2003)

Office owners turn to art to lure tenants in a competitive market.
 
"Landlords are finding it important to distinguish their buildings one from another" to attract and keep tenants, says Barbara Koz Paley, chief executive of Art Assets LLC, a New York-based art-consulting firm.  Instead of buying the art, a growing number of commercial landlords are leasing it...  The cost of leasing art is not only tax deductible as a business expense, she adds, but can be passed along to tenants.

INC. MAGAZINE: Do what you love. No, really. (August 2001)

This CEO discovered that she could grow her company by focusing on what she loves most.
 
Paley took Gray's advice and poured her energy into expanding her leasing business, parlaying her deals with flagship New York City buildings into contracts in other cities.  Her once flat revenues doubled in the first 10 months.  Perhaps equally rewarding is Paley's new understanding that prioritizing based on what she loves most is also the most lucrative way to run her business.

SHOPPING CENTER NEWS: Finance and Fine Art for a Competitive Edge (January 1998)

Placing art in your center drives interest, intrigue, and value.
 
Art completes a given space.  It serves to attract tenants in good times and helps to keep tenants in difficult times. It can also reflect the singular personality of your company, its image and its goals.