Park West Gallery is a commercial art gallery founded in 1969 by Albert Scaglione and based in Southfield, Michigan, United States, where it occupies premises, which is open for public and educational visits. It employs 1,000 staff globally and stated its annual revenue as $300–$400 million. It exhibits historic artists such as Renoir as well as contemporary artists. It funds the philanthropic Park West Foundation. In 1993, Park West Gallery began staging art auctions on cruise shipsaround the world. The company currently operates on over 100 ships and conducts more than 5,000 auctions per year on board, as well as in Ritz Carlton hotels and other luxury properties.
History
In 1969, Albert Scaglione opened Park West Gallery in Southfield, Michigan, after being a Wayne State University teacher of mechanical engineering. He bought Escher prints for $50 and was able to retail them for many times that price. Park West Gallery has premises on the Northwestern Highway, employing 200 staff in Oakland County, Michigan and over 1,000 worldwide. It has offices in South Florida. Works ranges from $2,000 to a $1 million Renoir; as well as historic artists, it also represents contemporary artists, such as Southfield resident Marcus Glenn and Israeli sculptor, Yaacov Agam, who makes optical and kinetic art. The gallery is open to the public and provides a service for educational visits. In addition to its main gallery and art conservation facility in Southfield, Michigan, Park West operates a framing and distribution center in Miami Lakes, Florida, and maintains a catalog and Internet sales business. The distribution center receives 4,000 to 6,000 works of art a week to process and frame, and maintains a stock of 6 to 7 million feet of picture framing to meet demands. The company also funds the not-for-profit Park West Foundation, which provides philanthropic support to various groups. Since 1993, Park West Gallery has been conducting fine art auctions aboard cruise ships, and is the largest business in this field, selling nearly 300,000 artworks a year with a revenue in excess of $300 million. It currently operates on the cruise lines: Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Princess Cruises, and MSC. Park West states that it is "the world's largest art dealer" based on its volume of sales. The auctions, like shows, gambling and shopping, are a popular aspect of entertainment during the cruise, and provide concessionary income for the cruise operator. However, the company's sales tactics have led to several lawsuits and media investigations. Morris Shapiro is the gallery director and has been part of the company for 25 years. He said the gallery has created a "new paradigm in how art is presented to the public". Park West Gallery does not reveal financial reports, as it is privately owned. Scaglione stated the 2007 revenue was $300–$400 million. Half of its revenue comes from 85 auctioneers on cruise-ships, and the rest of the revenue is from promotions in hotels and sales in its gallery.
Philanthropy
Park West Gallery established its in 2006, a non-profit that assists young men and women who are exiting the foster care system. As of 2013, the foundation has assisted more than 350 individuals with housing, transportation, jobs and clothing. It also provides tuition assistance for post-secondary education through partnerships with universities. Events the foundation is involved with include Jump Shot Your Future, which assists 14 to 25-year-old youth learn how to pursue post-secondary education; as well as KidSpeak, an annual event where foster youth can speak directly to county and state lawmakers about their experiences. The gallery also donates artwork to support fundraising efforts for non-profits, including the American Cancer Society. Artists that Park West Gallery represent contribute as well, such as Autumn de Forest, the gallery’s youngest artist, honoring the rebuilding effort following Hurricane Sandy as well as contributing to “This Bar Saves Lives;” Romero Britto supports Best Buddies International; and Peter Max for his efforts with organizations such as the Humane Society and cancer research.
In the News
In September 2008, the gallery instituted a policy where any item bought from them could be returned for a refund or exchanged for another artwork within specified timeframes. That policy was expanded in 2019 with the debut of the company's new 50/50/50 Satisfaction Guarantee, which gives customers 50 days to return any art with no fees or 50 weeks to exchange it. In 2016, it was announced that a "small piece" of a 2011 lawsuit against Park West could be reinstated in court after the Michigan Supreme Court dismissed the entire case. However, in 2018, Park West founder Albert Scaglione stated that all lawsuits against the company had been dismissed, claiming that, in every case, the judges found that "these claims did not have any merit." In 2016, Albert Scaglione and artist Tim Yanke were involved in a serious crash in Scaglione's Tesla Model X. Scaglione claimed that the car was in Tesla's Autopilot feature when it crashed. A Tesla spokesperson contested this claim, saying that there was "no reason to believe" Autopilot was engaged at the time. In March 2018, Park West Museum opened in Southfield, Michigan, a free-to-the-public museum with galleries devoted to Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and other iconic artists. In September 2018, Park West released a study titled "Are Millennials Interested in Art?," citing research that claims that "four out of five Millennials said that art was important to them, the highest percentage of any age group."
