MvVO AND THE FUTURE OF ARTISTS

“Manhattan” Letterscape by Ron Burkhardt

By Norah Bradford

You may not immediately recognize the name, but Maria van Vlodrop’s mission of creating new opportunities for artists is groundbreaking. Her strategy is to connect artists with collectors, open doors to undiscovered talent, enlist the support of institutions, industries/brands, and to build a bridge between commerce and art that will benefit artists and art lovers. It’s a forward-thinking approach that incorporates new technology and business partnerships to develop innovative events.

SHOWCASING CREATIVE ARTISTS
Her most recent venture, AD ART SHOW, is emblematic of the MvVO Art mission. The backstory on this show began with Maria’s experiences in advertising and business development in both New York and Europe, where she worked for blue-chip brands including Pepsi, Haagen-Dazs, Toyota, and L’Oréal, as well as the tech sector. With a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics and her life-long interest in art, it all led to the idea of a show dedicated to the artists following in the historic footsteps of Magritte, Rockwell, Toulouse-Lautrec, Hopper, Haring, and Warhol—who all worked in advertising. “Back in my advertising days, I admired the creativity of the artists in agencies. There’s tremendous talent there, and it’s time to give them the recognition they deserve in the fine arts realm,” said van Vlodrop.

In April 2017, Maria and her MvVO Art team—made up of advertising, marketing, promotion, and technology professionals—began reaching out to leaders in advertising, art, and media. The dual goal was to tap the rich pool of artistic talent in the ad world and to enlist significant companies and brands—NBCUniversal, SRI Fine Art Service, Neuhaus to name a few—in supporting this artistic endeavor. Last month, AD ART SHOW became a reality. Said van Vlodrop about the choice of location for this year’s AD ART SHOW, “Sotheby’s was an elegant and inviting environment for art lovers. It was also a beautiful setting for promoting luxury brands and creative companies and institutions.

“Worker” by Giancarlo Impiglia

A CELEBRATION OF DESIGN
MvVO Art is currently collaborating with NYCxDESIGN—an upcoming event from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). “This event is a perfect fit for MvVO Art as it celebrates the dynamic creativity of New York,” said van Vlodrop. NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s annual celebration of design, attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees and designers from across the globe. Taking place this year from May 11th through 23rd, the event celebrates a world of design and showcases over a dozen design disciplines through events taking place across the city’s five boroughs.

For highlights of MvVO Art’s AD ART SHOW artists and their exhibits, visit Artsy (artsy.net/show/mvvo-mvvo-art-ad-art-show-2018). MvVO Art is currently exploring the use of augmented reality and other new technologies for upcoming events. Maria and her team are already planning more art events including AD ART SHOW 2019 with a waiting list of artist submissions from the inaugural edition.

For more information on MvVO and Maria van Vlodrop, visit mvvoart.com.