When you’re looking to load up your walls with art, where to you go? Do you look for original art, or prints, or a combination of both? In the past, Buffalonians could lease art from the Collectors Gallery at the Albright-Knox, but that’s not the case anymore. That means that there has been a dearth of resources, when it comes to art rentals… until now.
Seeing that there was an opportunity in the market, art curator and real estate agent Mark W. Di Giampaolo has opted to start a new business that is dedicated to leasing his personal collection of original art. Di Giampaolo has been steadily collecting original works since he moved back to Buffalo (from NYC) in 1991. Today his impressive collection of art from local, national and international artists exceeds 200 in number.
Di Giampaolo initially came up with the idea to offer up his collection of original work to others as he was staging his real estate units. In order to create appealing rooms, he would borrow pieces from his own collection to spice things up. The plan worked, and not only did the apartments lease, the renters also appreciated the original aesthetic touches.
Since this past January, Di Giampaolo has been leasing his prized possessions to people involved in various artistic endeavors including house staging, visual office enhancements, or even creating theatre sets.
There are times when making an art purchase makes sense. And then there are times when leasing a work of art is a better option. Di Giampaolo’s collection boasts renowned, highly regarded works from artists such as Robert Blair, Frank Eckmair, Peter Fowler, Larry Griffis, Don Robertson, Edward Ruda, Deirdre Shinner, Susan Webb Tregay, Evelyn Nothman Underwood, Victor Vasarely and James Vullo.
All of the art offered up from the Off The Walls collection is comprised of original paintings, signed/numbered lithographs and silkscreens. Mediums include acrylics, gouache, oils, pastels, pencil/ink, photography and watercolors. As for composition and subject matter, the works range from abstract to portraits to Buffalo landmarks.
For those who don’t want to commit to acquiring their own art collections, leasing is a great way to test out the artistic waters.
Located in Allentown, Off The Walls Buffalo is dedicated to helping people find their perfect works of art for predetermined periods of time. Fees are set at a sliding scale.
In order to set up an appointment to browse the art collection at Off The Walls Buffalo, interested clients can either visit this website, email offthewallsbuffalo@gmail.com, or call Di Giampaolo directly at (716) 887-3891. Also see Facebook.