Art world star helps other artists during pandemic

Painter Guy Stanley Philoche, a star in the New York art world, had wanted to treat himself to a fancy watch after a hugely successful gallery show. Then the pandemic hit, and he feared for all the struggling artists who haven't been so lucky.

So he gave up his $15,000 Rolex dreams and went on a different kind of buying spree, putting out a call on Instagram in late March to any artist anywhere who had creations to sell. The submissions rolled in, hundreds at a time.

"A lot of my friends were call me. They're just they're getting laid off. People are just like, dude we have I have a kid. I just don't know. So I call my buddy. I was like, listen, don't worry about him. I'll come to your studio and just impress me. You got 30 minutes. Impress me, you know? So I got to say, show me something. So I was like, oh, I'll take that. I'll take that, you know, buy a piece, he's like so grateful, his wife thanks me, oh my God, thank you so much. I was like dude don't worry, your talent that your time will come, you know. So I go home and I'm about to hang this piece. And this is just that moment. I was like, you know what dude, maybe now's not the time for you to, like, go and buy this big luxury good for yourself."

He's spent about $60,000 so far with plans to continue as long as he can, and Philoche's own patrons have taken notice and asked him to make purchases on their behalf as well.

"A lot of my friends were call me. They're just they're getting laid off. People are just like, dude we have I have a kid. I just don't know," said the 43-year-old Philoche, who came to America from Haiti with his family at age 3, nearly nothing to their names. "I was like, you know what dude, maybe now's not the time for you to, like, go and buy this big luxury good for yourself."

Philoche has a budget, seeking out works in the $300 to $500 range. He buys only what he loves, from as far away as London and as close as the studio next to his in East Harlem.

An abstract mixed-media piece by Michael Shannon, his studio neighbor, was his first purchase, leading Philoche to include him and others he's discovered in an upcoming group gallery show.

"It's the first vote of confidence, the money is, you know, a side thing compared to like I believe in you, you have to believe in yourself and it's going to happen. And I want to prove it to you," said Shannon

About half the artists Philoche has chosen are people he knows, many in New York. The others sent him direct messages on Instagram with sample work in hopes of being picked.

Philoche's own work goes for up to $125,000 a piece and when some of his patrons heard about his new "COVID collection" they started writing checks to him to curate purchases for them as well.

To date, Philoche and his patrons have purchased nearly $60,000 of art during the pandemic.