Eric Baumgartner, Director, Hirschl & Adler Gallery

By Satchel McLaughlin ‘ 22

Eric Baumgartner at Hirschl and Adler, whom Ellie and I interviewed, both gave us a comprehensive presentation of American Art in the 20th century through selective works, and informed us about his profession and the role Hirschl & Adler plays in the New York City art world.  This was a valuable experience because I got to learn about works in depth while seeing them in person, and gain a better understanding of Hirschl & Adler’s dealings behind the scenes and their interactions with clients.

The offices, showroom, and gallery spaces were very small.  This meant that with a large group we were packed like sardines, but I can imagine for a buyer this space would provide an intimate and comfortable experience.  Currently, the main gallery space is holding and Louisa Chase exhibition titled Forcefield.  Adjacent to this space is a room filled with an assortment of decorative art, furniture, and paintings, including a piece by Maurice Pendergast.  This was particularly exciting to me because my upcoming presentation is on another work of his. It was helpful to examine Prendergast’s technique on a different piece in person.  This space did not have an overwhelming number of pieces, thus the small space didn’t get cluttered. 

The presentation Mr. Baumgartner gave us about works of art that complement our studies was critical and thoughtful, starting with work from the Ashcan School and ending with a mid-20th century abstract pieces.  He showed us works by Everett Shinn, George Ault, Paul Sample, and more. For me, this lesson proved that learning about works in person, and view them as 3-dimensional historical artifacts rather than 2-dimensional images, is more memorable and valuable then seeing them on slides.  Getting to see the back of paintings and where they have traveled was also a rare experience, because I only ever see them hung on walls. I think that seeing the record of where they had traveled helped me to better understand their history and story. I was also able to take some of the information that Mr. Baumgartner presented and use it at the MET.  I could identify works as part of the precisionist and abstract movements, consider how a piece was protected, and look at and question the framing.  

I was nervous going into my interview with Mr. Baumgartner because from their website I knew that he had a very high up position.  I thought that he might be a little bit intimidating, but he was very welcoming. The most interesting part to me was hearing about how he progressed within his job and has become better at what he does.  He was honest that his title of Vice President does not actually mean a lot more, but he earned this new title from putting in time and effort. He also told us we have to continue to practice looking, because this is really the only way we will really be able to train our eyes and look at works critically.  The more we see the more knowledgeable we will become. I think that this was one of the best pieces of advice from the trip.

Going into the meeting with Mr. Baumgartner, I really had no idea how their relationship with their clients worked.  I came away from the interview with respect for the company because they seem to emphasize their relationship with the customer.  I do know that they practice excellent customer service in order to have clients come back, or recommend them, and so they can build a good reputation, but it also means that the client is really satisfied.  They build long term relationships, and do everything from advising them how to display and store the art, and figuring out how to move the work in the home. I also liked his anecdote about the family that came in not wanting to spend a lot of money on a piece for their dining room.  They did not care who the artist was. I think that entering an art dealership could be intimidating, but it seems like Hirschl and Adler is willing to cater to a variety of clients.  

I do not think that I would ever want to work in an art dealership because I am much more interested in being able to be creative than focusing on business.  But, I do think that spending time interning in a gallery could be interesting and valuable because you gain experience handling great art, as well as get to spend time looking at art and practice critical viewing.