Bringing Art Back into the Conversation With Tappan

How is Tappan different from the many other online platforms reinventing the art buying experience?

Tappan is different in many ways from other ecommerce destinations for art.  First and foremost, Tappan is more than an online platform.  We are a full-service art firm offering curatorial services, framing, and a full suite of options for our collectors, designers, and our corporate partners.  We’re also very careful to differentiate ourselves and make it clear that we are not a marketplace as so many art-buying platforms today are – and, by definition, marketplaces, can’t be and aren’t nearly as highly curated as Tappan.

Tappan is based in Los Angeles – how does the lifestyle and culture of L.A. influence the Tappan brand?

We were born in LA, but we’ve grown up globally.  LA has been having a moment in the Art world for some time now and we’re thrilled to be able to be on the forefront of it.  Being in LA has without a doubt influenced and shaped us, but we consider ourselves a global brand having worked with clients and artists from all over the world.

What’s unique to Tappan’s criteria and approach for sourcing and curating art from emerging artists? 

Talent and a passion for living as an artist. We are really careful with who we bring onto the roster.  Talent and execution are of the highest priority for us when we review new artists, but beyond that, we also want artists who are making their Art practice their lives.  Tappan aims to bring Art with a capital A back into the conversation and it’s hard to do that if the artists you work with are creating their work as a side-hustle.

What are some of your best-selling photographs, paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and collages? 

To name a few:

The Kiss Series by Deerdana has been popular.  For photography, Brian Merriam’s Mist Six and Gia Coppola’s Chateau Marmont are big sellers.  It’s also been difficult to hang on to any of Claire Oswalt’s collages or Rosemarie Auberson’s pieces.  For large scale canvases, people have been showing a lot of love for Jonni Cheatwood and Jameson Magrogan‘s work as well. Honestly though, all of our artists’ work tends to sell relatively quickly, especially as we have begun to work more with designers who have clients with specific tastes for whom they’ve been searching for the right piece.

How has Tappan partnered with other players in the art scene this year?

We’ve worked hard to build a solid name and brand for ourselves so it’s afforded us the chance to work with some great partners within the art world. This fall, we’re excited to be working with LeMise and Show + Tell to name a couple.

Photo courtesy of Consort Design x Tappan

In your opinion, how does artwork affect the ambience of a space?

Artwork is a great way to set the tone for a space. Art is a lot more expressive than furniture, it can range from a calming neutral painting to an excited bright and charged photograph.

For the designers dealing with clients who don’t know “where to start” with art but want to purchase, what are some strategic ways to understand a client’s needs?

There are different kinds of buyers. The first thing to understand is if they want to buy for aesthetics alone, if they are interested in learning about art in general, or if they can see themselves collecting one day.

No matter what, the most important thing to start with is understanding their aesthetic, make sure they feel comfortable liking what they like – that’s where it all starts. Once they are comfortable liking art, then they can delve deeper into why they like it, set up studio visits with artists to understand the story behind the piece, etc. But first, start with what draws them to a piece.

How does the Tappan Corporate Service ease the sourcing and purchasing process for interior designers?

We work with interior designers to make sure everything is as easy as possible for them.  Our goal at the end of the day is to have happy clients and happy designers.  If a designer wants 6 artworks for a gallery wall, all they have to do is let us know which pieces and how they want them framed – then we make sure everything is done exactly to their specifications and shipped out.  The same goes for 1 piece or a whole hotel.  Beyond that, if a designer wants help with curation and framing, we work hand in hand with them on those choices.  We’re also always happy to extend a trade discount.  At the end of the day, we’re here as a resource to serve both the designer and, by extension, their client.

What’s Tappan’s focus for 2017?

We’re excited to continue expanding both our global footprint and our service offerings – especially for our design partners.