This Williamsburg startup wants to put art world fraudsters on blast

Jessica Paindiris frames her project as a sort of Angie’s List for the art world.
“There are many articles that have been written about how opaque it is, the deals that go on behind closed doors, how no one really knows what the fees should be like or what’s fair or if the quality of service is up to par,” she said in an interview Tuesday morning, speaking from her Bedford L-area apartment. 
So she’s out to change the way things are done, pull open those lush velvet curtains and let some sunlight onto the art markets.
Paindiris and her cofounder Gaia Banovich are former executives at auction house Christie’s, so they’ve got hands-on experience in the art world. Their company, The Clarion List, will provide listings and reviews for every facet of buying serious art: appraising, research, legal work, insurance and even collection management software.

Now you can art-lounge easy. (Courtesy image)

“We’re trying to make a more efficient market,” Paindiris said. We asked if the Clarion List would run afoul of the art market, blowing up the spot of people who are overcharging wealthy buyers for their services.

“It’s possible some of them would be scared,” Paindiris responded. “We haven’t heard that. The people we’ve talked to have been positive. The people who do honest work with honest prices are excited to stand out and reach a global market through our list. People who are doing shady business are perhaps more nervous.”

So it may be that the art market will be the latest to be disrupted by the information advantage that software and the internet can provide. Get your overcharges in while you can, folks.