Bespoke services at a reasonable price
Simply put, Atelier 4 exists because art wasn't made to move, it was meant to hang on a wall or rest on a pedestal. When you are challenged to find solutions to make the improbable practical, call on Atelier 4.
ATELIER 4 HISTORY
Like a work of art, Atelier4’s story is shaped by people deeply invested in the arts. In fact, Atelier4 began as a day job that would allow its founder, Jonathan Schwartz, more time to make art. As an aspiring, yet proverbially “starving” visual artist, Jonathan was lured into delivering art from New York to Los Angeles as a way to supplement his income. After a few years honing his skills in fine art logistics, Jonathan caught the entrepreneurial bug and founded Atelier 4 in 1989. Ever committed to supporting the contemporary art market in New York’s SoHo district, Jonathan at first focused on providing handling and logistics services to this community. Soon, however, his thriving business attracted the attention of world-renowned museums and collectors. Always driven to provide the highest quality service, Jonathan was faced with a life decision: deliver best-in-breed art handling and logistics to his growing list of clients, or attempt to balance that commitment with his passion for creating his own art. And so, as the story goes, there went the art studio.
The firm’s name, Atelier4, derives from Jonathan’s personal history as an artist as well as the bespoke services he endeavored to provide. The name is also a nod to the four artists who are the subject of Roger Shattuck’s “The Banquet Years,” which examines the careers of artists Alfred Jarry, Henri Rousseau, Erik Satie, and Guillaume Apollinaire, whose creative lives and visual output served as a revitalization of the Paris art scene and the foundations of Modern Art.
With a team of expert art handlers, craters, and logisticians, advanced equipment and technology, refined methodology, and broad capabilities, Atelier4 has become a trusted service provider to the most exacting of clients.
All of the firm’s vehicles are equipped with calibrated climate-controls, integrated alarm systems and GPS locators. The firm’s facilities are equally well-appointed with multiple-redundancy security systems, climate and lighting controls, and flexible warehousing for a wide range of client needs, from small-object storage to large single-owner spaces to monolithic works.
In 2009, the firm opened its second location in Miami, Florida. The gateway to Latin America as well as home to one of the largest concentrations of contemporary art fairs in North America, Miami is the ideal location for providing seamless services not only to institutional and commercial clients but also to private collectors with multiple residences in the Northeast and Florida. In 2018, the firm expanded to the West Coast when it acquired a reputable art handling firm in Los Angeles. Most recently, the firm acquired and built-out a state-of-the-art facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, to better position the firm to serve museums, collectors and trusts, estates and wealth professionals in the mid-Atlantic region.
After 35 years in business, Atelier4’s high-touch approach to fine art handling and logistics remains as personalized and client-centric as ever. The firm delivers in-house services over outsourced, quality over mass-volume, and stays true to its roots as an art services firm founded by an artist and largely run by artists. Atelier4 knows the true value of an object: it is the importance assigned to it by the creator and its owner, the passion the work inspires in those who see it, and the unique qualities of its construction that require nothing less than the most expert of handling.
ATELIER 4 LOCATIONS
NEW YORK - Established in 1989 35-00 47th Avenue Long Island City NY 11101 T. +1.718.433.3500
A4 has a reputation for the safe handling of precious objects in transit. We have taken this knowledge and outfitted a secure and modern 65,000-square-foot facility to provide the optimal environment for staging of exhibitions and long-term storage. Controlled access to the facility, closed-circuit video surveillance and central-station alarm systems safeguard our flagship building. A state-of-the-art and environmentally responsible chiller room provides the cooling plant for our HVAC system, augmenting humidity control. Private vaults and shared climate control storage rooms are available for individual works or entire collections.
MIAMI - Established in 2009 2170 NW 87th Avenue Doral, FL 33172 T. +1.305.685.9797
A4 is proud to announce its recent move to a 21,000-square-foot climate-controlled storage and operations facility with a dedicated interior dock located close to Miami International Airport. The concrete tilt-up construction boasts a 22-foot ceiling, a newly built custom crate fabrication shop, and a dedicated viewing room. Our Miami-based staff offer climate-regulated trucking, installation, import/export services, and supervision at the airport. We are in our 10th year in Florida, the United States’ gateway to Central and South America.
LOS ANGELES - Established in 2011 1636 North Indiana St. Los Angeles, CA 90063 T. +1.323.785.5550
Our LA outpost is in a 22,000 square foot fireproof concrete tilt-up structure with 20-foot ceilings and four dock positions, including an indoor, drive-in bay. This facility features a crate shop, packing room, and climate control storage. This unit is part of a secure and gated warehouse complex near USC Medical Center at the junction of I-5 and I-10. A4 LA’s management team are veterans of museum exhibition logistics. We offer international freight forwarding and customs brokerage in addition to our usual non-outsourced, asset-based services.
CHARLOTTE - Established in 2017 1960 Cross Beam Drive Charlotte, NC 28217 T. +1.980.237.6521
At the crossroads of the Southeast region, fast-growing Charlotte boasts a perhaps unexpected range of museums and galleries; within a four-hour-long drive many additional art institutions have had to operate without a local, established fine art logistics firm to serve them. That’s why we are in the Queen City, taking advantage of an international airport offering daily flights to many European capitals and an interstate highway system linking the region with our domestic shuttle service, our newest location offers 26,000 square feet of climate control storage, crate fabrication, and art handling services.
ATELIER 4 TEAM
Reputation is everything to us, but brand recognition, impressive trucks, and facilities are nothing without the people that make us shine. Meet the New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Charlotte teams and the administration and management staff that bring us all together.
NEW YORK
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CHRISTINE COLLADO
Project Management
Work Philosophy: Fortune favors the bold.
Experience: Visual artist, fine arts & art history at Fashion Institute of Technology, 4 years as Gallery Administrator at non-profit art gallery, sculpture studio assistant, freelance art handler
Favorite Artist: Nina Chanel Abney & IDLES
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ESTEVAN COLLADO
Sales Manager
Work Philosophy: Work hard, play hard.
Experience: Project manager 6 years at AirSea Packing, Operations for 3 years at Cadogan Tate
Favorite podcast: The Daily
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GERALD COLLINGS
Warehouse Manager
Work Philosophy: "Together, we can do anything." I tend to get my work philosophy from children's cartoons. Don't judge me.
Experience: Received my MFA at The Hoffberger School of Painting in Baltimore before moving to New York in 2000, began showing with Envoy gallery in 2006, and love to collect vintage video games and underground comics.
Favorite podcast: Digital Foundry Direct Weekly
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AMANCIO CONDE
Crating
Work Philosophy: I am a perfectionist, rarely happy with the result and always aiming to improve.
Experience: Atelier-4, 2007- Present
Behr Thyssen LTD 1998-2007.
Before that I was living is Spain and Puerto Rico.
Favorite podcast: BBC
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GREGG DEERING
Fine Art Storage Manager
Work Philosophy: Keeping a spreadsheet for the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Experience: Check out my recently published book: Mysteries of Ancient Art Handling: The Easter Island Statues Did Not Just Move Themselves, and Other Tales.
Favorite podcast: NSFW Movie Commentary
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VITALIY ISKIYAYEV
International and Domestic FF
Work Philosophy: My work philosophy is that i always want to improve at my job, i enjoy learning new things & gaining new skills. Even when i make mistakes, I see them as learning opportunities to grow and improve my skills.
Experience: 15 years of freight forwarding experience of moving cargo all over the world - export & import
Favorite podcast: CNN & History
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LUKE LUNSFORD
Project Management
Work Philosophy: Treat everyone with respect. Oh, and measure twice, cut once!
Experience: I'm a former art handling technician with Atelier 4 in NYC. I have worked previously at Phillips Auction House and Pace / MacGill Gallery and have freelanced for various galleries. Outside of my current role at A4 as a project manager, I'm also a visual artist, and I run an online vintage clothing store.
Favorite artist: Joan Mitchell. Not to be confused with Joni Mitchell. I love that she was born with several types of synesthesia and was a talented figure skater before becoming a prolific abstract painter
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ROB PETERSON
General Manager
Work Philosophy: Let's get it right the first time.
Experience: Trucking and dispatching since 1990, moving art since 2000
Favorite podcast: The Deadpod
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LOUIS SALINAS
Dispatch
Work Philosophy: I’m always looking to succeed and challenge myself, as I aspire to always be the best version of myself. I enjoy being a team player and bringing a bit of joy and laughter to work as you never know when someone needs a bit of joy to help them get through their day.
Experience: 10 years working dispatch in the moving and delivery industry, with 2 years in the fine arts department. I worked in the office but also wanted to gain experience and knowledge out in the field.
Favorite podcast: The last podcast I listened to was the Joe Rogan Experience.
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JAMES SAMARTZIS
Project Management
Work Philosophy: "Success is never final, but failure can be" - Bill Parcells
Experience: I started my career in the wine industry, then moved to logistics working for Omega Foods Inc and Sotheby's.
Favorite Artist: Keith Haring and Jackson Pollock
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KIM SCHANTZ
Director of Museum and Exhibition Services
Work Philosophy: "There's no crying in baseball!"
Experience: Project Manager, Ship / Art International; Registrar, Fraenkel Gallery; Registrar, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Favorite artist: Ralph Eugene Meatyard
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SABINE WANG
Project Management
Work Philosophy: “To infinity and beyond!”
Experience: I started my career with archaeological excavations and worked as an art specialist in international auction houses. Additionally, I've been a part-time contemporary art writer for academic journals.
Favorite Artist: Willem de Kooning
LOS ANGELES
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SANDY DAVIS
Project Management
Work Philosophy: Try to make the impossible possible. Always keep the art and the people safe.
Experience: 25+ years as an art museum registrar (including LACMA and Smithsonian) and fine art shipper. Licensed Customs Broker. BA in Art History.
Favorite artist: How to decide? Wayne Thiebaud. Marc Chagall. Caspar David Friedrich. Among others.
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JAMIE HARKER
Project Management
Work Philosophy: Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today.
Experience: Cooke’s Crating shipping manager. Intern at LACMA. Masters in art history from the Courtauld, Bachelors in art history from UC San Diego.
Favorite artist: Gianlorenzo Bernini
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ABDI LARUE
General Manager
Work Philosophy: Keep the quality high and the customers happy.
Experience: Fifteen years of art handling experience in the LA area
Favorite podcast: RadioLab
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HARRY LIFLIN
Dispatch
Work Philosophy: To create perfect paperwork and elegant dispatch every day.
Experience: At one time or another I have worked at every job in the art-handling business except crating (too much math).
Favorite podcast: Revisionist History
MIAMI
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JUSTINE CHAN
Senior Project Manager
Work Philosophy: "The price of greatness is responsibility." -Winston Churchill
Experience: BA Media Studies - Hunter College / Videographer / worked in wholesale + retail distribution before I shipped art / Account Manager at Gander & White - Interior Design
Favorite artist: Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York
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JAVIER TORRES
General Manager
Work Philosophy: Lead by example
Experience: Started my art-handling adventure with A4... a decade ago.
Favorite podcast: Timesuck with Dan Cummings
CHARLOTTE
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TONY LINENBERGER
General Manager
Work Philosophy: I'm in the Art Preservation business for the future of all kind.
Experience: Artist (Guinness is my medium), art handler and fleet manager for the past 24 years.
Favorite podcast: It’s All Bad
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TRAVIS LAUGHLIN
Warehouse & Facility Supervisor
Work Philosophy: You can't do it alone.
Experience: Senior director of programs for the Joan Mitchell Foundation, faculty at North Carolina A&T, currently serves on the board of The Experiential School of Greensboro.
Favorite Podcast: I don't own earbuds so I'll just have to say that I love John Squire's references to Jackson Pollock on the Stone Roses album covers.
EMAIL
ADMINISTRATION
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LINDA CHEN
Information Technology
Work Philosophy: Very serious.
Experience: Networking, servers, backups, PCs, printers.
Favorite radio show: 1010 wins.
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JODY MASON
Financial Controller
Work Philosophy: Success is the result of hard work and learning from your mistakes.
Experience: 5 years of accounting experience, but math is not my friend.
Favorite podcast: The Dropout
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SUZETTE JAQUEZ
Human Resources
Work Philosophy: Embrace change & develop a culture of innovation
Experience: Motivated HR professional for 14 years and counting!
Favorite podcast: HR Brew & The Hustle
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ANGGRAINI (SARI) PUSPITASARI
Accounts Receivable
Work Philosophy: I always want to improve my competency and give the best of my abilities to the company.
Experience: 6 years work as Accounting Assistant/ Administrative Assistant in Jakarta and around 5 years as Accounting Clerk in NY for Marketing and Travel Corp. 2 years work as Accounting Assistant at the restaurant plus supermarket.
Favorite podcast: I don't really have favorite songs or artists, but I do listen to some religious speeches on Youtube.
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MARYLIN QUIZHPI
Accounts Payable
Work Philosophy: Work hard in silence; let your success be your noise
Experience: Pharmacy Assistant 4 years/ Client Service Representative 1 year/ Accounting 2019 - Present
Favorite podcast: Entrenador online - training around the world
MANAGEMENT
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ELHAN ABRAMOFF
VP Logistics & Compliance
Work Philosophy: Do it once, do it perfect.
Experience: 26 years of moving freight internationally and domestically. Master in Electronical Engineering.
Favorite song (about art): "Bayati Shiraz", by Shariyar Imanov (instrumental) or by Kanan Bayramli (vocal)
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GARY CULLEN
Director Technical Services
Work Philosophy: Any job is possible with a little patience, attention to detail, and a good crew.
Experience: In the field since 2005. MFA in painting with working knowledge of studio methods and materials.
Favorite song (about art): Chromakey Dreamcoat by Boards of Canada
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STEVE PARDUN
VP Sales and Business Development
Work Philosophy: No one is an island, trust your team
Experience: BA Theatre, Film and Television at University of Colorado / 7 years in household goods sales management in New York, California and Colorado / 2 years in construction consulting
Favorite song (about art): Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)
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ERIC SCHAMBACH
Director Interstate Transportation
Work Philosophy: Safety first.
Experience: I drove cross country for a year, but I've been doing this so long that I'm mostly known as a voice to people. I've been mistaken for the Velvet Fog.
Favorite song (about art): “Sonic Reducer” by Dead Boys
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JONATHAN SCHWARTZ
Chief Executive Officer
Work Philosophy: Measure twice, cut once.
Experience: Cross country truck driving art handler, axeman and lead singer for The Molemen.
Favorite song (about art): Truck Load of Art by Terry Allen
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MICHAEL THOMPSON
VP Operations
Work Philosophy: I learned to work by watching my family. They’ve all worked hard and always together. I try to emulate that every day.
Experience: I’ve been getting artwork where it needs to go safely since 2002.
Favorite song (about art): Mona Lisa