I knew that at some point I wanted to do something with Mid-Century furniture and design. InCollect: Can you talk a bit about the gallery’s inclusion of Mid-Century Modern furniture and design?Īrlie Sulka: When I acquired the business, I wanted to do a few things differently-I expanded our web presence, redesigned the website, published two books on Tiffany, and started having exhibitions at the gallery. I really share the same sentiments about it as they do. I’ll also admit that I love the thrill of the chase and, like my collectors, the acquisition process is probably the most exciting part. InCollect: What do you enjoy most about this field?Īrlie Sulka: First of all, I love what I handle and I feel very fortunate that we specialize in probably the most important American decorative artist of the early twentieth century, Louis Comfort Tiffany. Then, in 2006, I acquired the business from the Nassau family.Īlbert Paley Forged Steel Round Dining Table. I saw the best of the best and I worked for Lillian until she retired and then I worked for her son, Paul. I began working there in the beginning of 1980. I’m sorry to admit that I didn’t know who she was at the time! I asked around and learned that her gallery was a place that I would really like to be. Nassau, who asked me to come work for her. I came to New York after college and worked at a small auction house-it was there that I met Mrs. InCollect: How did you get involved with this industry and learn about the material?Īrlie Sulka: I learned everything on the job through a lot of hands-on training.
#Focus nassau series
We caught up with Arlie, who appraises on the popular PBS series Antiques Roadshow, to discuss what she loves most about the field, her advice for young collectors, and much more. Arlie has maintained Lillian Nassau’s reputation as the go-to gallery for all things Tiffany, while expanding its focus to include Mid-Century Modern and Studio furniture and design.
One of the foremost experts on Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios, Arlie worked closely with Lillian and her son, Paul, for close to thirty years before acquiring the business directly from the Nassau family in 2006. Established by the inimitable Lillian Nassau, a savvy and daring dealer who helped carve out a market for Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects during the mid-twentieth century, the gallery has evolved smartly and gracefully over the past seventy years.įor the past decade, the gallery has been under the ownership of its longtime Managing Director, Arlie Sulka. Founded in New York in 1945, Lillian Nassau LLC is one of the world’s oldest and most respected dealers of works by Tiffany Studios and Louis Comfort Tiffany.