Charles Saffati & Claude Pardo @ Carlton Fine Arts
Carlton Fine Arts
Charles Saffati reflects on 50+ years of Carlton Fine Arts BY BENNETT MARCUS
Multigenerational Family Art Gallery arlton Fine Arts on Madison Avenue is a family business. “My father was in the business, and I quickly took over when I became of age,” says Charles Saffati, the current proprietor. Saffati considered himself “of age” at 14, when he began showing up to work at the gallery after school. Now his son Morris is in the business with him. “He’s 40 years old now and he also came to me after school,” Saffati adds with a laugh. His other two children did not gravitate toward the business.
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Picasso, Warhol, Chagall, Haring, Miró & Matisse Started in 1969, Carlton Fine Arts specializes in modern masters and pop art. “From the beginning we started in masters: Picasso, Chagall, Miró, Giacometti, Matisse,” says Saffati. As time progressed, he brought in newer artists, like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring in the 1980s. “At the time, those were the new upcoming type of artists. I mean, I used to buy Keith Haring works for $1,000.” Good instincts In addition to dealing in timeless blue-chip artists, Saffati continues to add new talent as the art world evolves. Now CFA handles
contemporary artists like Kaws, who is already a household name, Ron Agam, and Mr. Brainwash, a graffiti artist with a Banskytype style. The artists were featured in the 2010 documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by Banksy. Mr. Brainwash Saffati’s instincts have paid off. “We carried Keith Haring when nobody even knew who he was. Even Andy Warhol, we carried him when there was very little recognition of his work, we got in on the ground level.” The gallery tries out new artists that they feel are setting new trends going forward, things to invest in the future. “I feel like that right now
