Liz O’Brien

For more than 20 years Liz O’Brien has been pioneering new fields of collecting in the decorative arts. She introduced works by American designers Samuel Marx, William Haines and Karl Springer and was an early proponent of French design including the furniture of Jansen and the whimsical creations of Line Vautrin. She has championed European industrial design of 1960s and 70s, bringing the work of Maria Pergay and Gabriella Crespi to the attention of new collectors. Her New York gallery is a favorite shopping destination of design leaders such as Valentino, Tory Burch, Peter Marino and Jacques Grange.

In 2011 she launched a collection of her own designs, Liz O’Brien Editions, which became an instant hit with editors and designers. More recently, her gallery shows new work from a growing roster of contemporary artists.

Liz O’Brien’s distinctive point of view is guided by a passionate interest in the history of design and decoration. She is the author of Samuel Marx: Furniture and Decorations (1996) and was a contributor to Class Act: William Haines Legendary Hollywood Decorator (2005). 2007 saw the publication of her monograph on Samuel Marx, Ultramodern, which was described in House Beautiful magazine as “a work of scholarship and sincere appreciation–Samuel Marx deserves this reappraisal; he’s a founder of American chic.”