ATLANTA, March 28, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Atlanta law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP has been listed by ArtReview magazine among the top 40 businesses in the world for corporate art collections. The honor places AGG in the company of JP Morgan Chase and UBS, whose collections are renowned in the art world.
In making ArtReview's elite list, AGG joins just three other law firms throughout the world and stands alone in representing the southeastern United States.
"We consider inclusion in ArtReview's list a huge honor," said Bertram L. Levy, head of AGG's art committee and chairman of the firm's Private Wealth Practice. "Being placed in an elite group by a respected international publication reflects Arnall Golden Gregory's commitment to quality not only in art but also in the legal services we provide."
Sold in 24 countries, the London-based ArtReview is a leading magazine of international contemporary art, photography and architecture. The monthly periodical focuses on important artists, private collections, analysis of the art market and news of exhibitions, sales and events.
"Although the collection of this business-related law firm is still relatively modest -- 250 works to date -- its selection of contemporary prints and photographs is a high caliber," ArtReview writers Morgan Falconer and Alex Mar write of AGG in the January cover story, "The Business of Art: 40 international corporate collections, from UBS to JP Morgan Chase."
Falconer and Mar particularly were drawn to a 1957 Richard Avedon photograph of Marilyn Monroe that AGG recently acquired for its new headquarters in Atlantic Station. The photograph was one of the centerpieces of a 2002 retrospective of Avedon's portraits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The writers also single out photographs from Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Irving Penn and Diane Arbus. Other AGG pieces that drew attention by ArtReview included prints by Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and Chuck Close.
Levy, who sits on the board of directors of the High Museum of Art, said he believes AGG's collection caught ArtReview's attention because the firm's art committee from its inception has maintained a narrow focus and has worked for 23 years to achieve the highest possible quality. The firm began seriously collecting art in 1983 before moving into new office space. On the advice of Peter Morrin, then-curator of the High Museum's 20th century art, AGG concentrated its efforts on three areas of focus: 20th-century prints by contemporary masters, photography prints by contemporary masters and multi-cultural arts and crafts. The firm has committed resources annually to the art acquisition program.
Arnall Golden Gregory LLP is an Atlanta law firm that serves the business transaction needs of growing public and private companies. Through mergers and acquisitions, capital markets financing, strategic alliances, joint ventures, litigation and other business-related guidance, the firm helps clients in a broad range of industries turn legal challenges into business opportunities. For more information, visit www.agg.com or call 404.873.8500.