WWD | MARC KARIMZADEH
NEW YORK — From Michael Graves for Target to Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton, the past decade has seen many artists or design gurus link with fashion brands and retailers.
Now Robert Burke, president of the Robert Burke Associates consulting firm, and Sharon Coplan Hurowitz, the art consultant and author who runs an art advisory business, are joining forces to further the concept. The two have formed CounterpART, a joint venture that will serve as a platform to form partnerships between artists and lifestyle brands.
“We want to help edit and curate to find the right connection between artists and retailers or brands,” said Coplan Hurowitz, who previously worked as a specialist in contemporary prints for both Sotheby’s and Christies.
Coplan Hurowitz added artists are “on the cusp of culture,” which is something from which brands can benefit.
“We felt we could provide something personal, unique and highly creative,” Burke said.
He added that collaborations have often had a limited run, but can become more of a long-term partnership if strategized correctly.
“Retailers are looking, particularly in this economy, to drive consumers into stores,” Burke noted.
And it’s not just fashion brands or retailers the duo is targeting — the two agree an artist’s touch could reinvent a host of things, down to a toothbrush.
“I think that brands and companies want something contemporary and alive, and that is what I believe artists do for us,” Coplan Hurowitz noted. “We see them as forerunners of ideas and concepts.”