Maria Brito made the transition from Harvard-trained corporate lawyer to becoming a “luxury lifestyle consultant” after realizing that she just couldn’t take one more billable hour at the white shoe law firm where she worked. We did quiz her somewhat on her choice of title and she explained that she sees herself as a kind of hybrid interior designer and art advisor. She has some big name clients like Gwyneth Paltrow and Sean Combs but despite the “luxury lifestyle” bit, she also takes on clients with more modest budgets. Her new book, Out There: Design, Art, Travel, Shopping (Pointed Leaf Press) is a bright, visual essay on how to pick and put together an affordable art collection and place works into rooms full of life. Her own home is a cheerful mix of vibrant color with few high end pieces—although her sang-froid was tested (she passed) when Jeff almost knocked a picture off the wall (he saved it).
I was wondering after that piece in the Times whether you regretted a little bit that “luxury lifestyle consultant” label … given the current tough times.
You know what, I don’t know if I’m bothered by it or not. It sounds like a little of what I do, but I mean, the article came out so nicely anyway. Having just that [piece] in the greater scheme of things—she [Bee-Shuyang Chang, the Style section journalist] was very sweet … she was very generous. The Style section is the hardest section to get into.
You think she could have been more snarky?
Well, you know how people are. I have years ahead of me where maybe that same label will be forgotten … I don’t know.
I have to say I’m not into the GOOP [Gwyneth Paltrow’s online newsletter] to which you have contributed – people are very snarky about that all the time and often with good reason … you can be in dodgy territory with these things. You don’t want to come off as too Marie Antoinette—ish … like Gwyneth P. does.
[Hoots with laughter] You have to know her. She’s amazing. She’s a very, very sweet and grounded down-to-earth woman with a great heart, very generous. She’s a huge supporter of women.
[Sian] How do you know her?
Her [business] partner, Tracey and I have been friends and I am a member of their gym … and you know, inevitably you end up in the same circles sometimes. It’s not like I go and hang out with her every day. If you notice, most of the things she posts are about women and women’s businesses. She’s trying to really make a difference in people’s lives and to be honest—she can. Because she has a lot of reach, a lot of power.
[Lesley] Well, that’s not what I get … but we’re not here to talk about her.
[Sian] She’s a Spence girl. That’s how she was raised.
[Lesley] Well, let’s get back to Maria. I noticed in your book and in your home, you actually do quite a few modest spaces and you like flea market finds as much as expensive art.
I feel that sometimes you work better with somebody with a low budget than somebody who is very entitled and they have a budget of five million bucks … you know the whole micro-managing thing. It’s better they do it themselves—you know what I’m saying?
If you’re a little ambivalent about the “luxury lifestyle consultant” label, what do you call yourself when potential clients approach you?
I think I’m kind of like this hybrid between a designer and art advisor—but I don’t like the term ‘art advisor’ because it’s very stuffy. It sounds like I’m a financial advisor. The nature of what I do is helping people live with art in a way that is compelling, that is exciting, that reflects people’s personalities.
I like what you said about helping people not be “afraid’ of collecting or appreciating art. Do you find that lots of people feel a bit intimidated by the whole scene?
Well, in the past five years the whole market has changed tremendously. It is so open now—there is this whole other channel now of buying on the Internet and people can look at Artspace—it’s absolutely extraordinary. The prices are enticing and they have done a really good job of curating a very, very nice collection. The way Artspace works is that they partner with the galleries and give them an extra layer, an extra reach so like a guy in India whose on the Internet in the middle of the night can say, “I want this, can you ship it to me?”
[Sian] You know I talked to my brother [Roger Ballen] about this—he is a photographer who shows with Gagosian. It’s very tricky because he wants to maintain the higher prices but there’s this whole huge market of younger people who like his work. It’s all about editions but it’s very tricky.
But if the artist is already established and they know that they’re partnering with a serious website— it can work out. And you never know who is watching [if you’re not already established].
Are you happy talking about money?
It’s not like I’m running down the street screaming prices but I think that it is very important to have awareness of the market. Lately I am turning down more people because I really, honestly can’t work on everything. If I have five things I want to do them right and be able to put my heart into it … and yes, of course if somebody comes and they’re fabulous and friendly and divine and they have a million bucks and somebody else is the same and they have twenty thousand bucks, then I’ll most likely go with the million bucks.
Yes, I guess so. Who is up and coming now that you like? Who is catching your eye?
There’s a woman called Andrea Mary Marshall who I love. She’s a young New Yorker. She does a lot of self-portraits, like a young Cindy Sherman kind of thing. But the interesting thing is that she does all this stuff where sometimes she’s naked or sometimes she has a dildo in her hand and when you meet her, she’s very, very shy. Then you know that she’s truly an artist who is performing to attain those pictures.
And who do you think is overrated?
Damien Hirst is overrated but I like him very much because he did something that nobody else was doing. It was all about the titles … and it was like, “So you think you’re doing pretty things with art and I’m going to put this cow with flies in a box.” He defines a crucial moment in contemporary art history. But it’s overpriced to pay a million bucks for a dot painting. You have to think about these people like him and Jeff Koons started a trend of businesses where they have a studio and hundred people working for them. They are businesses; they are businessmen. And they did something very smart and they are loaded. There was a time when artists were not making money no matter what and now they do.
And so what is your attitude towards money?
You know … in a city like this you really have to have money. You want to go to all the restaurants and you want to do all things because otherwise I can move to Oklahoma where everyone looks at me like I’m a freak because of my accent and I could drive a tractor … and I plant seeds and that’s it. You know, money helps you accomplish dreams.
So you went to Harvard Law School.
Yes. Isn’t that crazy?
I want to hear more about your background.
So I was born and raised in Venezuela. Back then in the seventies it was a very, very wealthy place. My parents were not wealthy but we had a comfortable middle class life. We traveled a lot. We came to New York a lot. My parents were always into the arts in a hobby kind of way because they’re both scientists. They do toxicology and biology to do with drugs.
When you grow up in a country like I did, you’re very conditioned to just, like, follow certain patterns. And creativity is not very rewarded. I should have pursued a creative career early on but my parents were not very excited about that. They projected on to me … “oh you should be a lawyer …” like their frustrations or whatever. They thought being in the corporate kind of world was going to be a lot more secure and safe. I think I would have gone into design or fashion or something.
Are you an only child?
Yes I am.
And how long did you practice law?
Almost ten years. It was … horrendous.
[Lesley] I’ve never met a happy lawyer.
[Sian] My father was a very happy lawyer. But I agree, it’s unusual.
It was not my calling. What makes you unhappy is that you end up just doing drudgery in the office, on the phone with bankers … drafting documents … all very dry. You don’t own your life. They make you feel very guilty because what they say is that they’re paying you so well that you should be available 24/7. I was making like $120,000 when I was 24 – more than my dad made after a lifetime’s career. It was absolutely insane and I was just miserable. I knew that there had to be something else. The soul-searching was very deep.
How did you transition to what you do now?
Well my off-duty thing had always been to go to galleries and museums and to establish connections with people in the arts. I started buying some small pieces because it was a lot more fun than just putting it in the bank or buying shoes that a year later you donate to the Salvation Army, right? I always pride myself on having, like, the cutest home … even if it’s all from a thrift shop. In my mind, launching a business was very, very hard.
Well, how did you do it?
I just did it. I just … you know … I don’t think there was a specific thing that happened. I launched the business with only the pictures of this apartment. I created a website. I met with people. I asked for advice. People made fun of me … but I was like, whatever. Clients started to come maybe six months into it. You need some press … little by little it grew. One day I got this call from a friend in Los Angeles and she said, “You know Sean Diddy Combs is looking to buy art. Do you want to work with him?”
Ah … that was a big deal.
That was a big deal. I think I know how to say things in a way that is serious and at the same time I’m conveying some substance. And one thing is that I said to myself, if I’m going to get into this business without having the [arts] background, I really, really needed to know everything. I was going to every gallery several times over; I was reading Art and Auction; I was reading Artforum.
Gosh, you must be the only person on the planet who can read Artforum.
Oh, I think it’s bullshit but somehow it gave me an idea of what people are looking for.
Are you a bit weary of people saying that you look like Sophia Vergara?
[Laughs] I don’t watch the show but it’s a very exaggerated image of a Latin girl with the thickest accent and the boobs and the whole thing … but it’s a comedy show. It has to be exaggerated. I was thrilled to see her in Vogue last month.
What do you miss about Venezuela?
The weather. That’s it. I don’t miss it.
