General Manager, Art Business

Masterworks

$150K — $200K *
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in leadership at a top gallery, auction house, or art business with revenue responsibility
  • 3+ years managing a sales team, preferring leadership over sales
  • Deep knowledge of Post-War and Contemporary Art market, especially $1M+ segments
  • Ability to oversee specialized functions while maintaining accountability
  • Strong instincts for interpersonal dynamics and talent development
  • Direct communication style with clear feedback mechanisms
  • Highly organized and proactive in both qualitative and quantitative aspects
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Responsibilities

  • Build and develop a 20+ member sales and operations team
  • Set strategic direction for the art teams to become a top secondary market gallery
  • Own compensation, goal-setting, and promotions for team members
  • Refine processes for deal flow, vetting, development, and negotiation
  • Oversee Collection Management with autonomy given to Collection Manager
  • Collaborate with Product and Research for acquisitions and sales
  • Manage real estate operations related to the gallery expansion
  • Drive growth in Private Sales by exploring new revenue opportunities

Benefits

  • Free admission to art museums and galleries
  • Health, dental, and vision coverage with FSA options
  • Paid time off (PTO) and 401k contributions
Full Job Description
Position Overview

Masterworks operates a securitized art investment platform and, alongside it, a growing set of art-market businesses. For this case, the "Art Business" comprises three functions:
  • Private Sales. Brokering artworks for private clients.
  • Portfolio Acquisitions & Consignments. Sourcing and executing transactions for works to be listed on the investment platform, and selling works on behalf of investors, whether through the gallery or via consignment to other galleries.
  • Collection Management. Storage, condition, conservation, insurance, and logistics for roughly $1.1B of held works.

The Head of Art Business will own all three functions: managing the team, running Acquisitions & Consignments, and owning Collection Management with operational excellence, and growing Brokerage into a leading secondary-market gallery business. This position reports directly to the CEO.
You will be responsible for:

Team Management:
  • Building, managing, coaching, and developing a 20+ sales and operations team at varying levels of seniority
  • Setting the strategy for all aspects of the art teams, including how to differentiate as a leading secondary market gallery
  • Own compensation structure, goal-setting, promotions

Operations:
  • Building and refining processes for deal flow, counterparty vetting, business development and outreach, and negotiation
  • Oversee Collection Management (storage, conservation, insurance, logistics) while giving the Collection Manager autonomy over day-to-day execution.
  • Collaborating across departments including Product and Research to support acquisitions and sales strategy
  • Managing any real estate expansions and operations related to the gallery

Growing Private Sales:
  • Maintaining a strong working knowledge of the market: recent sales, pricing trends, collector and advisor activity
  • Driving team goals, adjusting business strategy as needed
  • Unlock new revenue opportunities, deal sourcing channels, and client acquisition strategies

In the first 90 days, you will:
  • Get fully up to speed on Masterworks sales and acquisitions criteria, process, budget, and the Masterworks collection
  • Establish clear performance frameworks and near-term goals through 2027
  • Build trust and working relationships with each current member of the art team
Requirements:
  • 10+ years in a leadership role at a leading gallery, auction house, or art business with specific revenue responsibility
  • At least 3 years managing or leading a sales team, with a desire to continue in a leadership rather than sales role
  • Understanding of the Post-War and Contemporary Art market, especially $1M+ segment
  • Comfortable overseeing specialized functions (e.g., collection logistics, conservation) - trusting expert judgment day-to-day while maintaining accountability for outcomes and knowing when to step in
  • Strong instincts for people - who to trust, how to develop talent, and how to read the advisor and collector landscape
  • Direct, low-ego communication style; you give clear feedback and take it the same way
  • Highly organized, proactive, and comfortable operating across both the qualitative and quantitative sides of the business
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Additional Requirements:
  • Must be eligible for full-time US employment - no exceptions
  • Must be able to work from our NY office - this is not a remote role

Benefits at Level & Co.
  • Free admission to art museums and galleries
  • Health, dental, and vision coverage with FSA options
  • PTO and 401k

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