AK Art Consulting & Curating

What AK Art Consulting & Curating does

AK Art Consulting & Curating is a privately held, Winter Park, Florida-based art advisory and curating firm founded by Alya Poplawsky. The company provides fee-based art consulting services to private collectors, corporate entities, museums, and non-profit institutions, with offerings spanning private collection building, corporate art programs, collection management, curatorial services, art investment advisory, and museum consulting. Notable engagements include multi-location corporate art programs for Earls Kitchen + Bar (Miami, Boston Prudential Center, Assembly Row), a fine art program for Husk Nashville, and acquisition support for the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (now Rollins Museum of Art).

The firm's competitive positioning rests on an APAA Code of Ethics-aligned, conflict-free advisory model: AK Art does not represent artists, own inventory, accept consignments, or receive financial incentives from galleries or artists, which underpins a client-only recommendation stance. Delivery is founder-led, with Alya Poplawsky (15+ years of art-world experience, MA from Sotheby's Institute of Art, former Curator of Education and Special Projects at Cornell Fine Arts Museum) and Aviva Poplawsky (Head of Business Development & Digital Strategy) as the two named principals running a 1-10 person team.

The business model is professional services: project-based consulting fees for acquisitions, curatorial projects, and ongoing collection management, initiated through complimentary email consultation and supported by a relationship-led GTM motion including art-fair attendance (Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Miami, SCOPE, NADA, CONTEXT, Untitled), gallery and studio visits, and a multi-channel social/digital presence. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, the company is bootstrapped with no funding rounds, and the operating footprint has expanded to 10+ U.S. cities while remaining anchored in Winter Park, FL.

Name

AK Art Consulting & Curating

Legal name

AK Art Consulting & Curating

Website

https://akartconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AK Art Consulting & Curating is a Winter Park, FL-based, founder-led art advisory firm providing conflict-free consulting, curatorial, and collection management services to private collectors, corporate clients, and museums across more than ten U.S. cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Consulting Services

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Art, Collectibles & Specialized Asset Advisory (Valuation, Storage, Lending) (FSAAADAO)

Keywords

• Art consulting services
• Art collection management
• Curatorial services
• Art investment advisory
• Corporate art collections

Headquarters

HQ city

Winter Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Travel

Revenue model

1. Art Consulting and Advisory Services: The company generates revenue through consulting fees for art acquisition advisory, collection management, curatorial services, and strategic support for private and corporate clients building art collections. Services include acquisition assistance, price negotiation, provenance assessment, shipping/insurance coordination, installation, and ongoing collection maintenance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AK Art Consulting & Curating is an art advisory and curating firm that helps private collectors, corporate entities, museums, and non-profit institutions acquire, manage, and curate art collections. Services include acquisition advisory, price negotiation, provenance assessment, shipping and insurance coordination, installation, ongoing collection maintenance, curatorial projects, and art investment advisory, with exclusive access to galleries, auction houses, and private dealers globally.

Product overview

AK Art Consulting & Curating is a single, unified service offering — an art consulting practice rather than a software platform. The core product is professional art consulting and advisory services, supported by several interconnected service modules: Private Art Collection Building (for individual collectors), Corporate Art Collection Services (for restaurants, hotels, and businesses), Collection Management (condition reports, shipping, installation, ongoing maintenance), Curatorial Services (exhibitions and guest curating), Art Investment Advisory (due diligence and market analysis), and Museum & Institution Consulting. All services are delivered personally by founders Alya Poplawsky and Aviva Poplawsky, with over 15 years of combined experience in the art world.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Consulting & Advisory Services Professional art consulting services advising private collectors, corporate clients, museums, and institutions on art acquisitions, collection development, and investment strategy.
• Private Art Collection Building Assists individual collectors in building private art collections through customized collecting strategies based on preferences, budget, and space requirements.
• Corporate Art Collection Services Provides corporate entities including restaurants, hotels, and financial institutions with art acquisition services, artist collaborations, and unique commissions for branding purposes.
• Collection Management Ongoing management of art collections including condition reports, provenance assessment, shipping coordination, insurance arrangements, installation, and value assessments.
• Curatorial Services Special exhibitions curation and guest curating services for museums and non-profit institutions, including fundraising and programming development.
• Art Investment Advisory Advises clients on art as an investment asset class, providing due diligence, market monitoring, and identification of emerging artists for financial appreciation.
• Museum & Institution Consulting Consulting services for museums and non-profit institutions including acquisition assistance, board advisory, and permanent collection enhancement.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• APAA (Association of Professional Art Advisors)coreOthersAK Art adheres to the Code of Ethics of the APAA (Association of Professional Art Advisors). This professional association sets standards for ethical practice in art advisory services, requiring members to work solely on behalf of clients without conflicts of interest.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Artvest Partners: Art advisory and investment firm providing collection management, art-as-asset advisory, and market intelligence to collectors and institutions — closely aligned with AK Art's advisory focus.
• Winston Art Group: Appraisal and art advisory firm serving collectors, attorneys, and financial institutions — comparable in advisory/appraisal service mix, though larger with institutional client base.
• Gurr Johns: International art advisory and appraisal firm providing collection advisory, valuations, and art-related consulting to private collectors and institutions — global boutique competitor to AK Art.
• The Fine Art Group: Independent art advisory firm providing collection advisory, art financing, and investment services to HNW clients — most direct comparable to AK Art in service scope and boutique positioning.
• Boccara Art Consulting: Boutique art consulting firm providing acquisition advisory and collection management for corporate and private clients — closely aligned with AK Art's corporate and private collector focus.
• Art Agency, Partners: Art advisory firm specializing in estate advisory, collection management, and post-sale services for collectors and foundations — directly comparable in conflict-free independent advisory positioning.
• Mercury Art & Advisory: Art advisory firm providing strategic guidance on acquisitions, deaccessions, and collection strategy for private collectors, estates, and institutions — comparable boutique advisory positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Christie's Art Advisory: Auction-house advisory arm providing collection advisory, valuations, and acquisition services to private collectors and institutions — overlaps with AK Art's conflict-free advisory positioning at much larger scale.
• Sotheby's Art Advisory: Auction-house-owned advisory practice offering art advisory, appraisals, and collection management to HNW collectors and institutions — directly comparable services to AK Art's core offering but at global scale with deeper research resources.

Emerging players

• Magnusson Art Advisory: Independent art advisory practice serving collectors and corporate clients with collection strategy and acquisition services — comparable scope but smaller scale than AK Art.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/akartconsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akart
• Instagraminstagram.com/akartconsulting
• Pinterestpinterest.com/akartconsulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AK Art Consulting & Curating