Veronica Fernandez by Eric Swenson

The art world is an interesting and difficult place to navigate. Because of this, many art collectors use an art consultant to help guide them through the art world. In Los Angeles, there are many art consultants, but this fine woman has always stood out to me. Veronica Fernandez is always glamorous, kind, smart, and is a strong independent woman!

Veronica specializes in building contemporary and post modern collections for her clients around the world.

Since 2005, she's traveled extensively, seeking out culturally rich destinations and gathering information related to the direction of contemporary art trends before they become known elsewhere.

Through her advisory, Fine Art Advising Services, she offers expert advice for those interested in acquiring artworks and cultural artifacts through a collaborative and educational approach with her seasoned clientele base from the U.S. as well as Canada, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, UAE and Qatar.

Her expertise and projects have received attention in ArtNews, Artforum, Artforum.com, Angeleno, Art Review, Tema Celeste, BlackBook.com, Art+Culture, Architectural Record, Palm Springs Style, The Los Angeles Times, The San Antonio Express News, The Hollywood Reporter, among others. She’s also written for several publications on topics ranging from collecting contemporary art to interviewing artists and other cultural influencers.

Veronica states, "My collectors are as close to me as my own family. I protect them from making mistakes and I push them to be better collectors - whether that be by showing them challenging work, encouraging them to spend outside their comfort zone, even suggesting that they build / radically remodel their spaces in order to  accommodate additional artwork. Likewise, they challenge me and help me to evolve. It's priority that we are direct and respectful of each other in to establish a trusting foundation and longstanding relationship. We spend holidays together, celebrate birthdays - there's a fine line between my work and my personal life which is an arrangement that has actually fulfilled me greatly. You become conscientious about making the best choices at all times when there is nothing separating you from your work."

Veronica is an ideal woman because puts her heart and sole into everything she does. She thinks about art and her clients not as work, but as her loves. As Steve Jobs said, "The only way to do great work, is to love what you do" and that is why Veronica is the best at what she does!! 

Veronica has a crush on Elizabeth Dee

My Ideal Woman crush would have to be NY gallerist and all-around dynamo, Elizabeth Dee. The amount of respect I have for her is beyond measure, she's the definition of progressive, a leader and someone I admire given her confidence in thinking outside of the box, never shying away from perceived risks.

I first met Elizabeth 6 years ago when I'd expressed interest in the work of (another incredible woman), Alex Bag. Immediately I was struck by Elizabeth's passion and found her excitement infectious. Being an advisor for over a decade now, I've encountered hundreds of art professionals, each with their own style of presenting work, informing me about artists and conducting business overall; it's in each of these areas, and many others, that Elizabeth's star shines pretty sickeningly bright.

Artists.
With a penchant for keenly understanding artists' work and their needs, Elizabeth has assembled a rock-solid roster of individuals expressly dealing with conceptual, political and social concerns since opening her gallery back in 2002. Ryan Trecartin, Josephine Meckseper, Adrian Piper, Julia Wachtel, John Giorno, Gabriele Beveridge and the collective Leo Gabin are just a handful of the talent that's caught her attention and, because of her, they've caught mine. She's someone who knows how to talk about work intelligently but with a beautiful sense of wonderment, too.

Independent.
Elizabeth also co-founded one of the most ambitious contemporary art fairs, the Independent. Along with her gallerist responsibilities, she had the foresight to create a new type of art fair six years ago, a time when the artworld was complicatedly navigating through a recession. Art fairs haven't really ever been characterized by adjectives like "civilized" and "democratic", but Elizabeth was able to develop a respected, modern and flexible model for an art fair that now takes place in New York and Brussels several times throughout the year. She's a unique gallerist deeply invested in creating, expanding communities and nurturing conversation.

Harlem.
I'd say Elizabeth is someone who sets trends because people value her savvy, her inability to sit still, her business ethics and knack for always being ahead of the curve. She probably doesn't see herself as a trendsetter (and she'd be way too humble to agree), but she possesses a certain kind of magic that makes you want to get involved, to be a part of positive, progressive growth and change in whatever form that may be. I'm excited to see how Harlem receives her now that she's moved her Chelsea gallery to the area. Her program will impact a larger audience than ever before; she possesses a huge opportunity to be a critical part of a cultural conversation in a way that the Chelsea space wasn't able to. It'll be no surprise when we hear about other galleries following her lead. She just has a rare sense of foresight that makes you pay attention to whatever she's doing. You can't NOT pay attention to what she's doing. That's the definition of success in my book.

Style.
I also value Elizabeth's sense of style. It's understated but all right there in the details! It's professionally edgy and sometimes dangerously demure. This is how I see my colleague, friend and Ideal Woman crush extraordinaire, Elizabeth Dee.