Ralph DeLuca
Ralph DeLuca | |
|---|---|
 Ralph DeLuca in front of an artwork by artist Louise Lawler | |
| Occupation(s) | Art advisor and collector |
| Website | ralphdeluca.com |
Ralph DeLuca (born in 1976 in East Hanover, New Jersey) is an American art advisor and collector specializing in contemporary art and vintage movie posters, based in New York City and Las Vegas. His clients include individuals, corporations, foundations, and institutions. Amongst his clients are actors Leonardo DiCaprio,[1] Sylvester Stallone,[2] and co-founder of Tinder, Sean Rad.[3]
Life and Career[edit]
A lifelong collector, DeLuca purchased his first print, from Salvador Dalí’s The Divine Comedy suite, using his birthday money at age 13.[4]
While working in investment banking, DeLuca began to grow his collections in both vintage movie posters and contemporary art. Realizing his rapidly-growing collections were quickly amassing value as financial assets themselves, he switched career paths and became an art advisor.
DeLuca's collections both in art and entertainment memorabilia have garnished worldwide attention. In 2012, DeLuca received widespread media coverage for paying $1.2 million for nine rare and early film posters, including the world's highest-valued poster of the 1927 film Metropolis.[5]
DeLuca has loaned several posters from his collection for exhibitions at MGM Resorts,[6] Salon 94,[7] Poster House,[8] and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.[9] He is known for having one of the world's largest collections of vintage movie posters.[10]
In 2014, Artnet named DeLuca as one of 20 of the World’s Most Innovative Art Collectors and as one of the Top 200 Art Collectors Worldwide in 2015.
In May 2024, Cultured released a profile on DeLuca, calling him "the Self-Made Celebrity Whisperer Who’s Won Over the Art World" and outlined his rise as an autodidact in the art market.[11]
Art Advisory[edit]
DeLuca is known for his education-based approach to building his clients' collections. He has stated that informed collectors build the strongest collections and are happier with their decisions[12] and urges the importance of equipping art collectors with knowledge.
“You're going to make very costly mistakes on your own, or you pay an advisor a fee to save you from those mistakes."[4]
Affiliations[edit]
- Consultant; Los Angeles County Museum of Art[13]
- Consultant; The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences[14]
- Consultant and Curator; MGM Resorts International[15]
- Poster and Pop Culture Expert; Pawn Stars[16]
- Art Consultant; The Family Stallone[17]
References[edit]
- ^ Bahr, Sarah; Syckle, Katie Van; Westervelt, Nina; Pinyodoonyachet, Jutharat (2024-04-06). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Tracee Ellis Ross and Gayle King Hit New York Art Parties". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Did Leo DiCaprio's Former Art Advisor Exploit the Star's Name?". Observer. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Six Art World Power Couples You Should Know". www.culturedmag.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ a b Cascone, Sarah (2022-10-28). "'With the Wrong Prints, Your House Could Look Like a Dentist's Office': Collector Ralph DeLuca on How to Make Good (Not Bad) Decisions at a Print Fair". Artnet News. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ Lewis, Andy (2012-12-13). "'Metropolis' Poster Leads $1.2 Million Auction of Movie Memorabilia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Caldonia at the Bellagio Gallery helps illuminate the history of Black performance - Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com. 2022-08-25. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Salon 94 | Caldonia: Concert and Film Posters from the Collection of Ralph DeLuca". Salon 94. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "The Utopian Avant-Garde: Soviet Film Posters of the 1920s". Poster House. 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "New Acquisition: The Mike Kaplan Poster Collection". Unframed. 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "An Intersting Journey From Banking to Art: Ralph DeLuca". sg.style.yahoo.com. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Meet Advisor Ralph DeLuca, the Self-Made Celebrity Whisperer Who's Won Over the Art World". www.culturedmag.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Art Advisory | Fine, Emerging & Contemporary Art Consultancy". ralphdeluca.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "New Acquisition: The Mike Kaplan Poster Collection". Unframed. 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "About Ralph DeLuca". ralphdeluca.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "What's New at Bellagio". bellagio.mgmresorts.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ Flash back to last year and my first filmed appearance on @pawnstars as their movie poster and pop culture expert. I look forward to filming more when... | By Movie Poster Appraisals by Expert Memorabilia Collector: Ralph DeLucaFacebook. Retrieved 2024-04-21 – via www.facebook.com.
- ^ The Family Stallone (TV Series 2023– ) - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-04-21 – via www.imdb.com.
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