At Lunch with an Art Dealer

Let me tell you - typical tourists don’t buy expensive art when they visit Zagreb. But this tourist was different. That day, I met my guest in the Esplanade hotel, a businessman from Hong Kong with his assistant. The tour was slow-paced but full of interesting stops…souvenir shops, liquor store and must-see historical monuments. At one point we entered an art gallery. A big painting on the wall caught my guest’s eye - a 1x1 meter painting for 6000€. He was thinking about buying it. We entered another 2 galleries, but they didn’t have art that would be big enough. Obviously, you don’t buy such souvenir randomly. It turned out - he is an interior designer for large, luxurious apartments and business spaces in Hong Kong and worldwide.

So in order to help my guest find what he was searching for, I called my friend who organizes the big exhibitions in Croatia. He also has a small gallery and works with artists. He came to have lunch with us and we spent almost two hours talking about my guest’s career and art works he could buy from Croatia. I learned so much about artists in Croatia and art business in Europe and worldwide.

Clearly, investing in unique pieces of art from around the world makes it an asset. Especially in interior design and real estate business. I was happy to help connect these people and make it useful for all sides. Being a tour guide isn’t just knowing facts about buildings or history. It incorporates knowledge, networking, understanding cultures. But most of all - it is creating a memorable experience beyond expectations, aligned with person’s interests and values.