Avery Andon is navigating the contemporary art world in an age of digital transformation
It takes far more than a quiver of sought after works by leading contemporary artists to stand out in the saturated art market. Kaws, Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons are all household names, and while presenting their works might turn a significant profit, institutional innovation is vital to success in our world of digital exposure. None know this better than Avery Andon, founder of ArtLife Gallery and the standalone NFT-hosting platform, ArtGrails.
Andon began his sprawling art career as manager to his brother, the world-renowned street artist, Alec Monopoly, before branching into gallery work. His brainchild, ArtLife, has set a new standard for how contemporary works are presented.
An innovative art gallery and lifestyle brand focusing on showing contemporary, pop and street art, ArtLife offers exclusive curated works from a wide arrangement of internationally renowned and emerging artists, painters, photographers, and sculptors, and features important secondary works from Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Banksy and more.
What sets ArtLife apart from other galleries, however, is its unique business model. At its core, ArtLife is an e-commerce art platform considered to be one of the first Online-Only Blue-Chip Art Galleries. Conceptualized by Andon as “Click & Mortar,” ArtLife combines online and social media “click” driven sales with strategically planned brick and “mortar” physical pop-ups. ArtLife has exhibited at Zona Maco Foto, curated museum exhibitions at MOCA Bangkok and hosted large-scale pop-up exhibits in Los Angeles, Miami and New York.
The gallery’s rapid financial growth demonstrates that Avery’s vision was a success: ArtLife has achieved eight-figure annual sales using this innovative business model and is continuing to expand into more presentations and pop-ups.
While many would see ArtLife as the apex of a career in contemporary art, Andon is certainly not lacking in eagerness for innovation to maintain dominance in the transforming art market.
This year, in partnership with his brother and long-time client, Alec Monopoly, Andon launched a brand new standalone NFT hosting platform called ArtGrails. Capitalizing on the rush of interest into digital assets, Andon exploded onto the crypto scene, presenting iconic NFT “grails” from the biggest names in art, music, fashion and entertainment.
Since its inception in March, ArtGrails has released numerous exclusive NFTs onto its platform. Kicking off the launch of the platform,ArtGrails released a collaboration between Alec Monopoly and the world-renowned Latin superstar, Ozuna called the “Uncle Richie Ozuna” series. The works featured one of Monopoly’s frequently depicted characters interacting with the teddy bear from Ozuna’s logo.
Andon continues to tap a slew of industry-leading teams for collaborative projects. Notably, Jacob & Co., the luxury jewelry company, recently teamed up with Alec Monopoly on an NFT timepiece that racked up an impressive $100,000 at auction.
With the sustained interest of A-list partners, and a unique understanding of ongoing digital art trends, Andon has set himself up for even more growth in the coming years. His rolodex of celebrity relationships is especially important in the NFT market. As stars from Paris Hilton to Snoop Dogg continue to ink lucrative deals, Avery is certain to be a market mover in this space over the next decade. We are surely amidst the first act in a series of groundbreaking performances by Avery Andon.
