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Women of Art

Lisa Schiff

By Pilar Viladas
Person in colorful outfit sitting with artistic sculptures and green leafy backdrop
Lisa Schiff is sitting in front of a living wall by Brooklyn artist Gennaro Brooks-Church in her Tribeca space. Schiff is wearing Prabal Gurung. Photo: Melanie Dunea

In May, art adviser Lisa Schiff opened a space on White Street in Tribeca. But don’t call it a gallery. Designed by Rodman Primack’s firm, RP Miller, the welcoming, eclectically furnished space—with a living wall by the artist Gennaro Brooks-Church—encompasses a book-lined office for her firm, SFA Advisory; an exhibition venue for works on consignment from galleries like Gagosian, Marianne Boesky, Gavin Brown, and the design gallery R & Company; and a rotating window display that is currently curated by Neville Wakefield. Also on site is a concept store offering objects like the sustainable See a Clean Future sunglasses, a collaboration between RVS Eyewear and Ugo Rondinone, for Schiff’s art initiative, One All Every, which donates its proceeds to nongovernmental organizations.

Person seated in a floral dress on a yellow chair with colorful art in the background.
In her Tribeca space with an artwork by Max Jansons and a chair by Thomas Barger, Lisa Schiff wears a dress by Dolce & Gabbana with her own jewelry. Melanie Dunea

Schiff says her main impetus was to sell works acquired by clients who need to deaccession. For those private sales, “I wanted a space.” But Schiff, noting that major galleries already have concept stores, also wanted her location to appeal to an audience beyond art collectors, to give people the opportunity to drop in, hang out, and “buy something small.”

Colorful office with yellow chair, wooden desk, vibrant rug, books, flowers, abstract wall art, and modern table lamp.
An artwork by Max Jansons and a chair by Thomas Barger in the concept store. Courtesy of SFA Advisory

Colorful, abstract sculptures displayed on a patterned marble surface with a vibrant, colorful background.
Artful objects at SFA Advisory. Courtesy of SFA Advisory

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2019 Fall issue under the headline “Women Changing the Art World” Subscribe to the magazine.