A Personal Invitation

Apr 9
5 min read

Dallas, A New Exhibition, and Spring with RAA

What We’re Working On:

Rancho Santa Fe

We’re thrilled to share a recent installation in Rancho Santa Fe, where a work by Hugo McCloud anchors the dining room of our client’s home.

We had been searching for the right piece for this space for a while, something with enough presence to hold the room architecturally, while remaining in dialogue with the surrounding landscape. On a studio visit with the artist in Los Angeles during Frieze Los Angeles 2026, we encountered this painting that immediately stood apart. As longtime admirers of McCloud’s practice and its evolution over time, we were thrilled to add this work to this collection — particularly as this work moves in a new direction for Hugo, combining his signature ironed plastic technique with a more dynamic, reworked painterly surface, notably in the leaves and dashes of color.

The process of visiting studios alongside collectors continues to be central to how we work. It creates a direct connection to the artist and their practice, grounding each acquisition in context and a true understanding of the process, deepening the relationship to the work itself.

This project also reflects our close collaboration with interior designers—balancing a strong design sensibility with a focus on long-term value and material significance. The final placement extends the greenery just beyond the room, creating continuity between interior and exterior without feeling literal, and contributing to a collection that is both intentional and enduring.

For this Rancho Santa Fe collector, we developed a thoughtfully layered collection for a newly acquired residence, balancing legacy-level acquisitions with emerging voices at varied price points. The approach prioritized long-term value, connoisseurship, and personal resonance, resulting in a cohesive collection designed to evolve over time and be stewarded by future generations. Artists featured in the collection, with guidance from Ryan Art Advisory, include Tony Cragg, Kevin Beasley, Jake Longstreth, Hugo McCloud, Erin Wright, Anabel Juarez, Dashiell Manley, Hayley Barker and more.

On The Horizon

In our next issue, we’ll be covering the major market moment of the May New York Fairs and Auctions. That said, April is also a dense moment on the calendar.

SP–Arte

São Paulo (April 8–12)

EXPO Chicago

Chicago (April 9–12)

Art Paris

Paris (April 9–12)

Art Cologne Palma Mallorca

Palma (April 9–12)

Plural

Montreal (April 10–12)

Dallas Art Fair

Dallas (April 16–19)

we’ll be there

miart

Milan (April 17–19)

The Photography Show (AIPAD)

New York (April 22–26)

Art Brussels

Brussels (April 23–26)

We’ll also be on the ground in Dallas from April 16–19th for the Dallas Art Fair and the Dallas Invitational.

We’re hosting private, advisor-led walkthroughs, visits to notable local collections, and a curated program of dinners and events.

For details or to join us: advisory@ryanartadvisory.com

The Art of the Horse

Spring Exhibition

Set within the equestrian landscape of Rancho Santa Fe, The Art of the Horse brings together a focused presentation of contemporary works that engage with the horse not simply as subject, but as a cultural symbol of discipline, legacy, movement, and identity.

This exhibition is conceived with the local community in mind. Rancho Santa Fe has long held a deep connection to equestrian life, and this presentation meets that tradition with a nuanced, contemporary lens, introducing works that resonate both aesthetically and contextually within these environments. As part of our cultural programming, Ryan Art Advisory is committed to bringing thoughtful, investment-quality works into the community—placing art where it resonates with lived experience and local context.

The selection spans painting and early photographic processes, with works ranging from approximately $1,400 to $17,000, allowing for entry points across emerging and established collecting levels.

Highlights from the presentation include:

Joni Sternbach

Sternbach’s tintypes introduce a historical counterpoint to the paintings. Using a 19th-century photographic process, her works—such as Afternoon at Orella Ranch and California State of Mind—collapse time, linking contemporary riders and landscapes with the legacy of the American West. These pieces carry both conceptual weight and strong institutional recognition, with pricing between $10,000–$17,000.

Avery Wheless

Wheless’ practice centers on the agency, presence, and vitality of the contemporary female body, expressed through energetic, gestural painting. While often known for multi-figure compositions, works like prance (2024) distill that sensibility—capturing movement, rhythm, and a sense of interior freedom through the horse as subject. Her luminous palette and confident brushwork are informed by a lifelong engagement with movement—from early ballet training to plein-air painting along the Northern California coast—as well as a broader interdisciplinary practice spanning film and performance.

Suzy Spence

Spence’s paintings anchor the exhibition with a distinctive narrative sensibility. Works such as Carnival Race (2026) and Side Saddle Widow (2025) balance figuration and atmosphere, pulling from historical equestrian imagery while maintaining a distinctly contemporary compositional language.

Additional works by Celeste Morton and Andy Woll further expand the range of the exhibition—Morton offering intimate, accessible oil studies, and Woll contributing refined, observational compositions that capture the horse across time and light.

The Art of the Horse reflects a broader advisory approach: placing works that are both contextually attuned and materially significant. By bringing together artists working across disciplines and price points, the exhibition offers collectors in Rancho Santa Fe an opportunity to engage with equestrian imagery through a contemporary, collecting-driven lens.

The Secondary Source

A smaller selection of works featured in our last newsletter remains available.

In addition to sourcing directly from galleries and artists’ studios, a key part of our advisory practice involves accessing exceptional works through the secondary market. We are currently offering a curated group of pieces available for private sale directly from collectors within our network.

These works present a rare opportunity to acquire sought-after artists with strong institutional momentum—often outside of primary market access. Coming from established collections, they carry considered provenance and reflect thoughtful collecting histories.

Sophie Larrimore

Untitled, 2018

Watercolor, gouache and colored pencil on paper

11 x 16 inches

Signed twice and dated ‘Larrimore 2018’

(on the reverse)

Katherine Bradford

Winter Sun, 2022

Acrylic on paper

5 x 5 inches

Katherine Bradford

Summer Sun, 2022

Acrylic on paper

5 x 5 inches

As always, should you be interested in selling or acquiring works, or having your collection appraised, we would be pleased to speak with you in confidence. We have a selection of works available privately and would be glad to share further details upon request.

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