CATCHING UP WITH MARIA VAN VLODROP

Founder & CEO of MvVO Art

By Harry Brads

Maria van Vlodrop is known within New York art circles for her innovative art venture comprised of a team of advertising, art, and technology professionals. Her dedication is boundless in creating new opportunities for artists, art lovers, and brands to discover each other and form powerful partnerships.

In 2018, Maria, who is a global business executive, created AD ART SHOW to celebrate creativity and the artists from advertising who create art outside of their day jobs. That year, AD ART SHOW debuted successfully at Sotheby’s in New York with 100 artists. The show will be held at the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center this coming fall. MvVo ART is poised to reimagine and redefine the relationship between Art & Commerce.

New York Lifestyles Magazine sat down with Maria van Vlodrop to discuss her career and what to expect at MvVO ART’s AD ART SHOW 2020.

Tell us where you were raised.
I grew up in Switzerland in an Armenian family with American dreams. It was my father’s life-long dream, and it became our family story. Perhaps it was all the books about California that he read to my brother and me when we were growing up? After I received my degree from the London School of Economics, we moved to New York City. I was working as a BBDO Account Executive for the U.S. Navy account when I became a citizen. The Navy flew a flag in my honor, and the entire agency celebrated my citizenship. It was one of my proudest moments.

What did you do before MvVO ART?
I worked in advertising and business development in New York and internationally. Aside from BBDO, I worked at Ammirati Puris Lintas, Y&R, Euro RSCG on the business development side—always working closely with creative teams. When I realized it was time for a change, I delved into the technology side of the business, working with Toyota, L’Oréal, Honda, and Hyundai.

I love advertising. A great campaign is entertaining and persuasive. It’s also a collaborative creative endeavor—the result of a group of talented individuals working as a team. AD ART SHOW celebrates the talent and creativity of the artists making those campaigns happen.

How did you get involved with art?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in art. I grew up in a house full of art! My parents collected, and our walls were always full of art. I often visit galleries and art fairs.

A lot of my friends in advertising are artists, and that was the original spark that led me to found MvVO ART. I realized all these talented, passionate artists had no platform to show their artwork? Many notable and famous names in art started in advertising. It’s always been the industry that gave them support and employment. From Toulouse-Lautrec and Magritte to Haring and Warhol—there’s no reason for the Art World and the Advertising Industry to be separated. They should be partners. I started MvVO ART to create partnerships that allow these artists to get discovered.

Why did you start the AD ART SHOW?
I quickly realized that the ad world needed to have its art show. I also realized I’d have to enlist people in both art and advertising to make it happen. That was my big idea. I took a copy of Andy Warhol’s famous Marilyn Monroe portrait and a brief written description of the AD ART SHOW concept and then mined my network to get one-on-one meetings with people who could help me make it happen. They got it! They loved the idea.

Linda Vaccarino of NBCUniversal immediately came on board as our first sponsor. Then I went to a gallery opening with my friend Eleanor Kobel and met Laura Skoler from the Board of Directors at the New Museum, and she became our first connection to the art world. Linda is now the chair of our selection committee and my art world mentor. She introduced me to Eric Shiner, from the Warhol Museum. At that time, he was the head of contemporary art at Sotheby’s, and Eric latched on without hesitating. I remember him saying that his grandfather was an art director and an artist. Let’s have the show at Sotheby’s! Then I called my former boss David Sable, CEO of Y & R who championed our launch in the advertising world.

This year will be the third year for AD ART SHOW, what have been some highlights of previous years?
Our debut at Sotheby’s in 2018 was remarkable! We had a diverse group of 100 artists, a sold-out VIP opening party, and art, advertising, fashion and media visitors pouring in during a three-day show in a gorgeous setting, plus lots of press coverage and excitement!

Then Sotheby’s began a renovation project, and we didn’t want to lose our momentum by skipping a year, so in 2019 we took a radical step and brought our art directly to the streets of New York. We turned the LinkNYC digital street displays into art galleries in key neighborhoods during Frieze Art Week.

While we were working on our LinkNYC plans, we connected with Westfield, and they invited us to bring our all-digital show to the huge screens in Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus at the Westfield World Trade Center. This was a game-changer. The foot traffic is staggering and the screens are enormous. It’s a fantastic marriage of art and technology.

Why did you make the transition from a traditional studio art show to the digital format?
When one door closes, you create another door, and that’s what we did. Jumping to an all-digital format enabled us to show more art to more people. Our mandate is to create opportunities, to connect artists with art lovers and collectors, and to help artists get discovered.

We have our MvVO ART online gallery on Artsy for AD ART SHOW artists where the work can be purchased. It’s another aspect of the digital revolution. We’re using technology that is associated with advertising to create our art show platform. It’s what MvVO ART is all about!

What can guests look forward to at this year’s AD ART SHOW?
We’re back on the Oculus in 2020—with more artists, more sponsors and partners, and more support from both the advertising industry and the art world. Nicole Purcell, the President of the Clio Awards, will personally give our show’s winner a special Clio.

Being entirely digital makes us agile and open to new opportunities. Right now, it’s all about bringing everyone downtown to the Oculus to see an incredible month-long art show on gigantic screens.

Where do you see yourself, MvVO, and the AD ART SHOW in the next five years?
We’re on the path for expanding outside New York to other art/advertising agency hub cities—like LA and Paris. We started that thread showing at Shibuya Stream in Tokyo. As an all-digital show, AD ART SHOW is positioned for both real-life and virtual art experiences that will enable us to bring artists and art lovers from all over the world together.

We’re also expanding on our already-impressive social media presence. Instagram and LinkedIn have been critical to our growth. In five years, I’m confident that we will be working on new social media platforms to promote our artists and connect with new sponsors and partners.

The key to AD ART SHOW’s future is getting more agencies on board and adding a few more significant sponsors who want to connect with our audience. I’d like to see AD ART SHOW grow and continue to innovate—reflecting the creativity in both the art world and the advertising industry.

For more information on MvVO ART SHOW, visit mvvoart.com.