A practice dedicated to private collectors and organizations approaching art with intention, passion, and the desire for clarity.
EM Art Advisory was founded by Eugénie Martineau, after 15 years moving between two worlds that share more than they appear to: Sciences & Arts. A PhD in microbiology completed between Princeton and Marseille universities, followed by research positions at Harvard Medical School and Mount Sinai, shaped a way of working that prizes precision, evidence, and the discipline of slow decisions.
The other side of the coin is Art. Eugénie has spent years of painting at the Art Students League of New York, art history at the École du Louvre and the University of Lille, and completed a certificate in Art Advising at Sotheby's Institute of Art in London. A formation that spans studio practice, art historical depth, and market understanding. This is grounded in a decade of active presence in the art world, across Paris and Venice: exhibitions, fairs, studio visits and openings, from Art Basel to the Venice Biennale, with a close eye on auction markets and the specialized press.
The Art Advisory practice exists at the intersection of these two trajectories. It brings analytical rigor to questions of authenticity, provenance, and market positioning, and cultural sensitivity to the conversations that matter most: what a collector is truly building, and why. It draws on a strong network of gallerists, auction specialists, art historians, and advisors built over years of active engagement with the international art world.
Supporting collectors through the full arc of building a collection: clarifying intent and aesthetic direction, contextualising works within art history and contemporary practice, sourcing through galleries, studios, private sales and fairs, and constructing concise, reasoned shortlists.
Each acquisition is evaluated across artistic relevance, market positioning, authenticity, provenance, condition and contractual clarity. Negotiation and execution are conducted with transparency and discretion.
Holding a collection together as it grows. Maintaining coherence across works, structuring documentation and provenance records, advising on conservation, restoration and insurance, and reflecting on display, circulation and spatial dialogue.
Where relevant, mapping the collection to identify works of institutional or curatorial significance, and structuring the conversations that may follow: loans, collaborations, visibility within the broader cultural ecosystem.
Advising on whether, when and how to release a work or a group of works. Independent pricing assessments based on market comparables and recent transactions. Selection of the most appropriate channel: private sale, gallery placement, institutional route or auction where relevant.
Coordinating preparation, documentation, contractual, logistical and insurance aspects, and accompanying transmission to heirs or institutions with the same care given to entries into the collection.
For collectors who already know how they want to engage, but need a trusted reference for specific moments. A second opinion on a proposed acquisition. A pricing check. A pre-acquisition due diligence review. Negotiation support. A focused collection health check.
Available as one-off engagements or as a monthly retainer, for clients who prefer to have their art person available as questions arise across the life of a collection.
Buyer-side only. No commissions from galleries, no hidden margins, no speculative agendas. Fees are transparent and proportional to the work and the value at stake. The interests of the collector are the only interests being served.
No advisor knows everything. EM Art Advisory operates as an orchestration model, mobilising a curated network of specialists when the project requires it: art historians, conservators, market analysts, legal and tax advisors, fine art logistics. Each engagement remains proportionate to its scale.
Acquisitions are assessed across artistic relevance, market positioning, authenticity, provenance, condition and contractual clarity. But art is not a spreadsheet. Every decision is made in dialogue with the collector's taste, story and long-term horizon.
The best collections are built slowly. The practice operates on the timescale of the work, not the transaction. Decisions are returned to, refined, and sometimes deferred. Patience is part of the service.
Individuals building, structuring, or reassessing a collection over time, seeking a long-term advisory relationship rather than transactional buying.
Clients facing a specific moment: a significant acquisition, a sale, a donation, or a strategic inflection point that calls for independent judgement.
Hotels, offices, foundations, or companies integrating art into their identity, spaces, or narrative, where art plays a strategic, cultural, or positioning role.
For a specific project, a single decision, or an ongoing collaboration, please be in touch. All initial conversations are confidential and without commitment.