ADVISOR: THESE AREN'T JUST ACQUISITIONS. THEY ARE MOMENTS OF RECOGNITION, RELATIONSHIPS, AND VISION.

Some acquisitions happen quickly. Others unfold slowly over years of conversation and trust. This placement began early in my work with this collector. During one of our first meetings, they mentioned how much they connected with the work of Bisa Butler. Nothing came of it right away. We did not rush. Instead, we continued building a thoughtful collection while I kept watch for the right moment.

This fall, an impression from Butler’s recent edition surfaced through a trusted channel. The timing, scale, and palette aligned perfectly with the client’s vision. We moved with clarity. The work was secured, framed, and installed in their home.

Seeing the piece on their wall confirmed why patience matters. Butler’s portraits carry emotional and historical weight, and her editions are exceptionally scarce. Works like this rarely appear, and when they do, they require readiness, relationships, and an instinct for timing. Around the same time, a second impression was placed with an institution. The two placements reinforced the strength of Butler’s edition and the continued relevance of her work among both private collectors and public collections.

For this client, the acquisition fulfilled an early hope. For me, it marked a milestone in a long advisory relationship built on listening, restraint, and knowing when the right work finally arrives. Collecting can move slowly and still land with precision when the moment is right.

My work as a dealer and curator is rooted in a core belief. Graffiti is not a genre or a subculture. It is an ism. A major movement in contemporary painting. Radical. And often misunderstood.

Not all graffiti is great painting. But many of today’s most celebrated painters are pulling directly from its visual language. It evolved from abstraction and pop. It is inseparable from capitalism and colonialism. It is the logical and explosive progression.

If you follow the generations beyond 1970s New York and turn west toward Los Angeles, REVOK MSK becomes synonymous with the form. After relocating to Detroit during its economic transition, his studio practice matured alongside the city. His work from international walls to shaped canvases is structured, intentional, and deeply fluent.

We visited his studio in the middle of the pandemic. Not long after, Spirograph Commission arrived in Minnesota. A shaped canvas made with acrylic, spray paint, and synthetic polymer. The work exemplifies the rigor and freedom of post-graffiti painting.

The image is created by a mechanical system the artist built to remove his hand from the process. And yet the line vibrates. It hums with a charge that only comes from decades of dedication.

The marks do not resemble a tag. But they carry the same energy.

If graffiti is an ism, and it is, REVOK is one of its defining figures.

Todd James, also known as REAS, entered my consciousness through The Art of Getting Over, by way of ESPO. He has been a favorite ever since.

I first saw Anchors Away in a group show at Library Street Collective in Detroit, during the same trip as our visit to REVOK’s studio. It stood out immediately. Strong in JPEG, even better in person. Confident line. Electric color. Total fluency.

The painting eventually led to a studio visit, just after his opening at Ross Kramer Gallery. Allegedly, Jeffrey Deitch once told him to stop using spray paint, that no one would take it seriously. So for years, REAS painted with a brush.

When he returned to the can, he went all in. Two massive canvases the size of full train cars covered both walls of his railroad studio. You could picture him in the yard, painting cars back to back.

I often describe his work as a stoned Matisse. Radiant color, repeating motifs, and the comedic timing of Grandma’s Boy. In Anchors Away, he paints his paintings into the painting.

If graffiti is an ism, and it is, REAS is an archetype. A master of form. A generational link.
Style with depth. Humor with history. Legacy earned.