Artistic transfer, a respected dallas company that serves the publishing and marketing needs of artists, found itself in the “right place at a tough time” during the pandemic year, says managing partner David Yangco.
Artists had to shift gears quickly, no longer able to depend on the sales and contacts from in-person public events to keep their business going at the same level. That scary time, it turns out, also opened up other rewarding opportunities.
The 4-year-old company, located in three showrooms in the Dallas World Trade Center, was able to offer solutions to enhance the business of the 150 artists it represents. Its proprietary digital imaging technology, for example, was a lifeline for artists relying on e-commerce and needing to expand their print offerings.
“Artists have been doing reproductions for centuries, such as lithographs,” says Yangco, also a represented artist with the company. “We’re just expanding the options with modern technology, doing things that we’ve never been able to do with reproductions.”
That process allows the company to create prints in a full spectrum of color, light and shadow that accurately capture the essence of the original work. Prints are then reproduced on canvas, paper, metal, acrylic and commercial-grade wallpaper that ensures the finished work will retain its brightness, texture and depth for more than 200 years when used under recommended lighting conditions. This technology was created to solve three common challenges in artistic reproductions: capturing the spectrum of colors, working with metallics and enlarging images without sacrificing resolution. The result? More options for artists and for interior designers and other clients who are seeking art for residential, hospitality and commercial installations.
Artistic Transfer has also begun exclusive partnerships with artists to create distribution channels that give them more control over their sales. “We’re all about allowing artists to take control of their work and their business, being able to market themselves,” Yangco says.
Previously, an artist might have been represented in several galleries, and when a collector wanted to buy a piece, there was no direct way to track down the available inventory. By working through Artistic Transfer to manage the sale, the artist has better control of availability, quality and pricing.
The company has recently begun representing, exclusively and worldwide, Tuan Nguyen, a Vietnam-born and internationally famous sculptor. “With Tuan, there was no distribution network. In order to get a Tuan sculpture, you had to track down another gallery, brokerage firm or auction. What we offered was a way to address that shortcoming so that he has control of his pricing and value. Artistic Transfer is developing a protective territory plan for 200 galleries all over the United States as well as in Paris, France, and other European hubs,” Yangco says.
“Tuan just wants to sculpt, and we want to keep him sculpting,” says Lillian Powell, managing partner at Artistic Transfer.
Nguyen began sculpting in his youth in Saigon, South Vietnam, where his father was an architect, sculptor and mentor. After the fall of Saigon, Nguyen ended up in a refugee camp and started using the red clay in the floor of his cell to sculpt the likenesses of other prisoners. A warden was impressed and helped facilitate his release. He escaped to the Philippines and arrived in the United States in 1988, where he has built an impressive body of award-winning work. His stunning sculptures are installed at various locations all over the world, including in the permanent collection of the Pentagon and the White House.
Nguyen says he is pleased with the new partnership with Artistic Transfer. “I’m happy to work with them,” he says. “The most important thing is their integrity and honesty. I’m waiting to see what’s next and what the future brings. It’s exciting.”
Another sculptor represented by Artistic Transfer is Larry Solomon, a retired business executive who left corporate life to pursue his art years ago. “We have a great relationship,” he says of Artistic Transfer. “I’m excited about the next phase, focusing more on business-to-business relationships in the broader world of art.”
For Solomon, being successful in the art world fuels his passion for giving back. He uses the profit from his art sales to support My Possibilities, a charitable organization for special-needs adults on a 20-acre campus in Plano, Texas. His wife, Charmaine, is one of three founders and serves as board chair. My Possibilities provides vocational education, job placement, culinary and visual arts opportunities to 650 adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, lovingly referred to as Hugely Important People, or HIPsters. “That’s really what my art is about, using my God-given talents to enrich the lives of others at My Possibilities,” Solomon says.
Award-winning painter Stephen Hackley has also benefitted from a partnership with Artistic Transfer. In January’s Total Home and Gift Market, the artist, known for large floral paintings and extensive use of copper leaf, participated in a live demonstration at the Feizy showroom, located at the entrance to the World Trade Center. The event drew customers back to the fifth-floor showrooms of Artistic Transfer.
“They are providing opportunities for exposure, not only for the consumer or collector that’s putting things in their home or office but also for the designers who are working with clients to select work for their homes or offices,” Hackley says.
As an artist who regularly incorporates layers, textures and materials in his work, Hackley says he is impressed by the possibilities for reproducing his original works. “Artistic Transfer’s process is very good for highly textured work and capturing that depth,” he says. “The hardest thing is to try to reproduce that depth.” Above all, though, Hackley values the working relationship. “As an artist, you have to have someone represent you who can help you get in front of the customer, who can get inside the artist’s head. I think Artistic Transfer is good at doing that.” *
Freelance writer and editor Connie Dufner is a proud Texan transplant living in Washington, D.C. She is a former editor for Modern Luxury Dallas and The Dallas Morning News who has been covering interiors journalism since 2001.
