The Art Business

About The Art Business

The Art Business is a bi-weekly podcast dedicated to talking about both cultural and business aspects of the art world with some of its key players. It is hosted by Dr David Bellingham, Programme Director of the MA in Art Business at Sotheby‘s Institute of Art London.

Publisher

David Bellingham

Category

arts · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Oct 2021

Latest episode

10 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

89 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Oct 2026

   From Banking to Brushstrokes: Lara Julian’s Layered Journey

   In this episode David Bellingham talks with abstract and conceptual painter Lara Julian at her exhibition on 100 Kenston High Street. Lara — born in Siberia, trained in international relations and banking before retraining at the School of Visual Arts (New York) and the Slade (London) — describes her path from finance to a sustained painting practice and her family art background.The conversation explores Lara’s working methods (long vertical brushstrokes built over months or years, often 50–60 layered passages, grounded in the Munsell colour system), her art-historical references (Titian, Rothko, Kandinsky), recent shows (Bonhams, Saatchi dialogues, Avicyn Gallery, Gallery 8, Zebra 1) and notable sales and speaking engagements. You’ll hear close looking at key works — Nimbus Petition, Unfolding Expansion, Velvet Hours, Fractal — and how texture, rhythm and color coding shape her pieces.They also discuss the business of being an artist: how banking taught discipline and cataloguing, studio economics and pricing for long-term works, selling to corporate and private collectors, exhibiting beyond the white cube, digital/video and AI experiments, and practical advice for dealers, advisors and students about nurturing an artist’s long-term strategy rather than chasing trends.

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   From Rothschild to Make-Ready: Scaling Avant Arte’s Global Print Revolution

   Welcome back to the Art Business Podcast. In this episode host and guest Mazdak Sanii, founder and CEO of Avant Arte, discuss the decade-long journey of building a major contemporary art platform that has generated over $150 million in revenue and engaged more than 4 million collectors worldwide. Mazdak explains how his early M&A training at Rothschild shaped his leadership and soft skills, and how mentorship and recruiting the right people have been critical to scaling the business. Topics covered include Avant Arte’s operational response to the 2022 market downturn, the company’s time-limited edition model, pricing strategy, and the decision to acquire Make-Ready, now the world’s largest fine art printing studio, to secure supply-chain quality and deepen relationships with artists. Mazdak also discusses how Avant Arte funds projects, works with artists and galleries on pricing and edition sizing, and fosters long-term artist partnerships. The conversation explores Mazdak’s role as a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, advising on digital and commercial strategies, and how museums can engage younger donors and diversify income streams. He reflects on governance lessons from nonprofit boards, the value of emotional intelligence in leadership, and global opportunities for expanding collector bases in regions like Latin America, Greater China, Japan, and South Korea. Expect practical insights on financing, hiring, operating a creative business at scale, and the intersection of craft, commerce, and cultural stewardship; plus anecdotes about classical music, mentorship, and the philosophy behind building a more accessible collecting ecosystem. Links: https://avantarte.com/ https://makereadyeditions.com/ music ‘Baby, I Miss The Internet’ (Rama, Rama, Rama) by TOT TAYLOR is used by kind permission of the artist ©Tot Taylor/Songmatic Music (2020)

3. 

   27 Aug 2026

   Pricing, Royalties and the Artist’s Business: Halim Flowers on Artonomics

   How should artists price their work, earn royalties and build sustainable creative businesses? In this episode of The Art Business Podcast, David Bellingham talks to artist, author and Artonomics founder Halim Flowers about pricing art, financial literacy, intellectual property and building multiple revenue streams. Halim transformed 22 years of incarceration and self-education into an international creative practice. He discusses his journey from self-publishing and street entrepreneurship to working with galleries, Warner Brothers, institutional collectors and public projects. Topics include: • How artists can price their work and understand their financial value• Budgeting and building multiple revenue streams• Artist resale royalties and intellectual-property protection• Building intergenerational value from creative work• Blockchain and tokenisation• Using AI as a business tool for artists• Measuring cultural value and impact• Community-building and ethical for-profit models• Translating art into education, curriculum and commercial projects Halim also discusses the Artonomics Cultural Capital Index and his approach to using data and technology to demonstrate cultural value and impact. Key takeaways: Treat your creative practice as a business; diversify income; protect your intellectual property; use technology and data intelligently; and build communities that can extend the impact and value of artistic work. Links: https://www.art-o-nomics.com/ https://www.instagram.com/halimflowers/ https://www.halim-flowers.com/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/afdhelaziz/2025/12/05/how-halim-flowers-turns-art-into-weapons-of-mass-construction/ https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/usa/2025-2026/halim-a-flowers/ music ‘Baby, I Miss The Internet’ (Rama, Rama, Rama) by TOT TAYLOR is used by kind permission of the artist ©Tot Taylor/Songmatic Music (2020)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

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