Mercer Contemporary seeks to honor the pioneering artists of the past and cultivate a dynamic and intellectual artistic dialogue into the future. 

 

From the early twentieth century, through the post-war years until today, downtown Manhattan, specifically Greenwich Village, was at the heart of bohemian life, vibrant intellectual discussion, and the gathering place for the artistic community. Drawing on this rich and colorful history, Mercer Contemporary seeks to honor the pioneering artists of the past and cultivate a dynamic and intellectual artistic dialogue into the future.  

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The [Washington Square Park] arch in the winter of 1916 was the scene of a quaint and unusual revolution. John Sloan and Marcel Duchamp with several of their Bohemian artist friends climbed the narrow staircase through the steel door on the west side. On reaching the top they spread out hot water bags to sit on, opened food and wine, lit Japanese lanterns and blew up red balloons. They read poems, fired cap pistols and with a grand shout, John Sloan declared Greenwich Village “a Free Republic, Independent of Uptown”.

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Anecdote taken from Greenwich Village, Fred McDarrah, 1963

 

Team

mercer conteporary new york art advisory Nicole Bray headshotjpg

Nicole Bray, Founder of Mercer Contemporary, is a respected and trusted art professional in New York. Nicole completed her Masters of Arts, (Hons) in Art History at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York, and has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia. She has also gained various certificates through Christie’s Education, NYU, and the Appraisers Association of America.

Nicole was awarded the Emerging Curator Fellowship by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in 2014. In 2016 she was awarded a Curatorial Residency in Mexico by the Curatorial Program for Research. Nicole worked for Phillips Auction House and a distinguished private collector, before starting her business, Mercer Contemporary, which focuses on Art Advisory, Appraisal, and Legacy Planning. She advises multiple clients on acquiring, selling, managing, and displaying their collections. She specializes in 19th, 20th, and 21st Century Fine Art, and has extensive experience in Prints and Multiples, Photographs, 20th Century Furniture, and southeast Asian and Himalayan art.

Nicole is USPAP certified and a member of the American Appraisal Association. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.

 
 

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