New York collectors Andy Gao and Peter Wei shudder at the mere mention of art storage. “We want to look at everything!” Gao exclaims. The couple recently traded their Tribeca apartment for new digs in Hudson Yards. The neighborhood’s main draw? More wall space. “The third bedroom is our viewing room,” Wei chimes in.
In less than five years, the couple has assembled a star-studded collection with works by such sought-after names as Loie Hollowell, Yoshitomo Nara, and Les Lalanne. A Tracey Emin painting, Holding Myself, 2023, hangs in their bedroom. A colorful Huang Yuxing canvas anchors the living room.
In many ways, collecting and real estate go hand in hand for the pair. As agents and owners of Home Ambassadors, a boutique real estate brokerage based in New York, they have stared down their fair share of bare white walls. “Years ago, I had a client who wanted help decorating her apartment in Tribeca,” Wei recalls. He suggested Costa Rican artist Federico Herrero, whose work he’d learned about from a friend. The client acquired a work—and, not so long after, so did Gao and Wei.
That first purchase led to many more. These days, “we’re always buying,” confesses Gao. Recent acquisitions include the work of Sahara Longe, Ellen Antico, Hilda Palafox, Holly Hendry, Mark Yang, and Julia Jo. In a few short years, art has very literally reshaped their lives. “We go to so many fairs that we’ve even been mistaken for advisors,” Gao continues.
As their collection grows, the pair expects their approach to patronage to expand as well. Recently, they joined the Brooklyn Museum’s Contemporary Art Committee; a foundation may also be on the horizon. For the time being, however, their home remains their most influential platform. “We host a lot of events for friends in the industry,” Gao says. “Sometimes our real estate clients will see art in our apartment, and then decide they want a work by the same artist.”
Every acquisition is a conversation. “There is no veto,” Wei notes. Works by women and artists of the Asian diaspora have emerged at the heart of their collection. “Artists who were previously underrepresented in the art world are a major theme,” Wei says. With every fair and museum show, the couple gets more confident in their shared eye. “We only want our first-choice works now,” Gao concludes. “Already, we’re running out of space again.”
For more from the 2024 Young Collectors list, read conversations with Daniel English, Noora Raj Brown, and Jen Rubio.
