Ariel Plotek draws on two decades of museum experience to identify opportunities, forge relationships, and solve problems for collectors and artists.
A curator’s eye. A curator’s understanding.
Ariel trained in London and Paris, and holds a PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University.
After serving as Curator of Fine Art at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and Chief Curator at the Museum of Sex in New York and Miami, the international practice he founded in Montreal in 2025 is predicated on curatorial experience and market credibility.
Services offered
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Strategic guidance for building and refining collections across the primary and secondary markets; includes sourcing, due diligence, and price analysis, as well as negotiation and representation in gallery, private, and auction transactions.
Supporting artists at all stages of their careers with advocacy and expertise, including market and exhibition strategies.
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Helping collectors find art and navigate gallery and auction markets with private representation and collection management support. Facilitating both institutional donations and institutional sales on behalf of collectors and artists.
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Museum-level design and installation for private clients and corporate collections, from a single room to a suite of galleries. Collection positioning, collection research, and writing for catalogues and monographs.
Past Partners
Art Institute of Chicago
Centre Pompidou
Fondation Beyeler
Montreal Museum of Fine Art
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Museum of Modern Art
The Andy Warhol Museum
The Bunker Artspace
Vitra Design Museum
For Collectors
Nancy LorenzAriel Plotek has been collaborating closely with collectors for his entire career.
In his roles as curator and chief curator, he worked closely with trustees, donors, and lenders to secure works for museum collections and major exhibitions.
As an independent consultant, he now puts this experience directly to work for collectors. From finding art to negotiating the market, clients access Ariel’s expertise, credibility, and network of artists and institutions.
Alexandra KehayoglouFor Artists
Before pursuing a career as an art historian and museum curator, Ariel Plotek studied fine art.
He created the artist-in-residence program at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and has a proven track record building relationships of trust with artists at every stage of their careers, including numerous first museum exhibitions.
As a curator and chief curator he has served on countless acquisition committees and overseen major exhibitions and catalogues. Now, as an independent consultant, he has the opportunity to advocate directly for artists, whether they are seeking representation, institutional opportunities, or curatorial expertise.
Portfolio
Ariel Plotek, PhD
Born and raised in Montreal, Ariel Plotek's first passion was for studio art. That kinship with artists, particularly painters, continues to shape everything he does, and artists' studios remain a second home.
He trained at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and holds a PhD in the history of modern art from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, where his dissertation was supervised by Linda Nochlin and Robert Rosenblum.
Ariel began his museum career at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, before joining the San Diego Museum of Art, where he advanced from Assistant Curator to Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
In 2018 he was appointed Curator of Fine Art at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, overseeing the permanent collection and two historic properties, leading brand initiatives including a partnership with Shinola, and establishing the museum's first artist-in-residence program.
In 2023 he became Chief Curator at the Museum of Sex, expanding its program to Miami and producing a landmark partnership with the Andy Warhol Museum. He has been based in Montreal as an independent consultant since 2025 and currently writes exhibition reviews for ArtForum.
Connect
Ariel is based in Montreal, and works primarily in New York, Toronto, Miami, Santa Fe, London, Paris, and Los Angeles.