Vernissage Art Advisory's Latest Acquisition for LACMA Has the Art World Abuzz

Meet the rising art stars behind the latest megagift to LACMA.

Tennis Court Drawings by LA artist Jonas Wood, showcased recently at Shane Campbell Gallery, will have a final home at LACMA.

Ever since WeHo-based Vernissage Art Advisory launched in 2017, Rachel Cole, 25, and Chelsea Petronko, 33, have surfaced as the latest players du jour in a crowded global art market. The two met in 2016 while working at West Hollywood’s De Re Gallery and it was kismet. Over the last year and a half, they have attended 15 international art fairs and built a strong reputation with collector clients, including an enviable batch of tech billionaires and Hollywood A-listers. Following the debut of a New York City office this spring, a recent acquisition has the West Coast’s art world abuzz. Working with the Shane Campbell Gallery, Cole and Petronko secured a 24-piece work entitled Tennis Court Drawings by LA artist Jonas Wood for their clients, Japanese art collectors Masahiro and Yoshimi Maki. The Makis will make the work one of the centerpieces of a museum they are opening in Tokyo in time for the 2020 Olympics before ultimately gifting it to LACMA in 2025. “Because it was a monumental acquisition in terms of both size and value [the largest to date by the collectors, the gallery and the artist], we had to make sure that each voice was heard and that each need was met,” Petronko says of the lengthy procurement process. Cole adds, “Mr. and Mrs. Maki are major supporters of Jonas Wood. Their belief that these works should be seen by as many people as possible inspired their exhibition in Tokyo and their final transferal to LACMA. LACMA is the largest museum in the western United States and Jonas’ home, so this specific donation will contribute to his legacy in an unparalleled way.” For Cole and Petronko, “global” and “local” were never mutually exclusive goals.

Vernissage Art Advisory’s Chelsea Petronko and Rachel Cole hang with Damien Hirst paintings “Mickey” and “Minnie.”