Lara Bjork Is the New Face of Contemporary Art

Lara  Björk has a Saturday ritual. When the Artsy sales specialist is home in New York City — in between her work visits to places like London, Milan and even Mexico City — she’ll grab a coffee, and accessorized in shades and trainers, head over to exhibitions at Andrew Krep’s gallery in Chelsea or the Rachel Uffner gallery in the Lower East Side… alone. “There’s not very many people in there at that time,” says Björk. “And then you can see the art, talk to gallerists, ask questions — it’s quite different to Thursday [gallery opening night] where the focus can be less on the art.”

Viewing (and researching) art is just one of the many tasks her job requires. She navigates the traditional art world while at Artsy — a high profile start-up with a database of 200,000 images of art culled from galleries, art fairs, benefit auctions and foundations all over the world — helping revolutionize the way art is being bought and sold (online as opposed to the auction house). [Editor’s note: Christie’s and Sotheby’s are following suit — one creating their own online platform, the other partnering with eBay.]

Other tasks on her plate: taking a pair of collectors visiting from Stockholm to three viewings at Chelsea galleries; or sourcing artwork — in a grey, black and white pallete under $100,000 —via the Artsy platform on behalf of a client. She even convenes meetings with Artsy engineers about improving the website platform (so that the sales team can work more efficiently). “It’s very different from being in a traditional, normal art-world role,” Björk explains, “Because you have to ride the line between everything — from the emerging, to the very serious art world, to tech. So you kind of have to be a Jack-of-all-trades.”

And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Armed with a Masters in Art Business, Björk enjoys this life on the go, jotting down trends at art fairs and attending auctions. She also emphasizes this is the best way for a collector—whether they’re a newbie or well-versed— to find what they love. “That’s the trick, is discovering what your aesthetic is and what your taste is — and you can only do that by training your eye,” she says. She also credits Artsy for giving people the tools and freedom to explore that world. “It’s about helping broaden the access. Like Pandora and music, Arsty is making the art world more accessible to everyone.”

While those in the art world are on the brink of contemporary art auction week — a slew of art fairs and benefit auctions — Björk is excited about certain artists of the moment getting attention in galleries as well as on the auction block. “You’re seeing a lot of raw canvas or fabric as the primary medium focus with guys like Wyatt Kahn, Ethan Cook and David Ostrowski; and then bright palettes with a very abstracted, heavily gestural aesthetic with female artists like Keltie Ferris, Jacqueline Saccoccio andJoanne Greenbaum.”

As for which female artists Björk is currently coveting — like Kika Karadi, Saccocio, Ferris and Sam Moyer— it’s her mom, Anne Björk, who gets the highest accolades, and whom she credits for her appreciation of art, especially abstract work on canvas. “I grew up with artwork in my home and I grew up in my mother’s art studio, watching her career, which was heavily influenced by Joan Mitchell and Caio Fonseca, develop… There’s that element to living around art — it’s like having people and family on your wall. It’s about having a real connection.”

- Sara D. Anderson

Photos by Kevin Sturman

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FaceTime: "My skincare routine has changed over the years. I’m more into the lotions and potions — like Aesop serum and Algenist eye cream."

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“My role is a working dictionary between my brain, my network, my resources, and my colleagues' input as well. You have to be in the mix — to go, be and see and stay on top of the market,” says Lara.

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Lara in front of a work by Alex Kwartler at the Nathalie Karg gallery.

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LeRoy Stevens, Tilde, 2014 at the Nathalie Karg gallery. The eggs are made of silicone and acrylic.

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On her fashion style: "I have to look contemporary but also sophisticated, so I wear a lot of textures — like leather and fur or a silk crepe — and a lot of neutrals."