Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Bush.
Hi Andy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Maison 59 really didn’t start as a business. It grew into one.
My wife, Anna, and I started buying art for our family almost forty years ago. We’ve always loved living with art, and over time, collecting has become part of how we live and travel. Anna is an artist, so she brings a trained eye to our acquisitions. I spent much of my career in real estate and hospitality, so art naturally became part of that work. My background is in urban design, and I’ve always had an interest in fine art. Anna is probably more of a hunter, whereas I love finding something unexpected, learning about the artist, and figuring out why a particular piece grabs me.
We found ourselves putting together collections for different properties and projects—sometimes a few pieces, sometimes dozens or even a hundred. Eventually, friends began asking if they could buy pieces from us, and a designer friend asked me to start sourcing for their clients. We began buying more seriously in New York and Europe, and little by little, what we had been doing for ourselves started to look like a gallery.
Maison 59 is the culmination of all of that. It’s based out of our home in Boulder and online, so it feels very personal. Anna and I buy what we genuinely want to live with ourselves
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’ve been fortunate in that we haven’t felt the need to rush any part of Maison 59. This really is a passion for Anna and me, and it grew naturally out of something we had already been doing together for decades. We’ve been able to take our time, figure out what we want the gallery to be, and let it evolve somewhat organically.
We genuinely enjoy the entire process—the travel, discovering and researching artists, finding a piece we love, having it framed, and eventually seeing it find a home with someone else. At this point in our lives, Maison 59 is something we’re doing because we love it, and we want to protect that. If it ever stops being fun, we’re probably doing something wrong.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Maison 59 is a highly curated gallery built around seasonal releases. Our collections vary over time. Originally, we focused on low-volume lithographs and original works on paper from the 50s and 60s. Recently, we’ve expanded to include a significant number of oil and acrylic paintings on canvas ranging from first-generation Abstract Expressionism to more recent works from the 70s and 80s. We source primarily through auctions and smaller galleries in New York and Europe, as well as regional auction houses around the country. Some pieces come to unframed, others arrive loose and are framed here in Boulder.
What sets Maison 59 apart is that we aren’t buying according to a formula or trying to predict what the market says people should want. Anna and I choose every piece ourselves. The test is pretty simple: Would we hang this in our own home? If the answer is no, we don’t buy it.
We also want people to understand that collecting art doesn’t have to feel intimidating. You don’t need an art history degree or an enormous budget, and you don’t need to be able to explain why you like something. Sometimes a piece just grabs you. (That’s how a Louisa Chase lithograph we bought years ago ended up shaping so much of what we collect today.)
We’re probably most proud that Maison 59 feels like us. It’s personal, a little eclectic, and always evolving. You can make an appointment to see the work in our Boulder home or discover it online, but either way, you’re essentially being invited into a collection that Anna and I have built together
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Curiosity, without question. I have more than 36,000 photos on my phone, which probably tells you something about me. I’m always looking—at art, architecture, places, people, whatever happens to catch my attention. I like finding things I haven’t seen before and following an idea just to see where it goes.
Maison 59 came out of that same instinct. There was never a grand plan to open a gallery. We kept finding art we loved, kept learning, kept collecting, and eventually realized we had something worth sharing. A lot of the best things in my life have happened that way—by paying attention and staying curious.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maison59.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themaison59/
Image Credits
All photos by Connor Stehr
ART ABOVE BROWN DRESSER: “Unfinished House No. 2” (1963) by William Kienbusch at the home of Andy and Anna Bush
Art in white room: “Mal Nior 7” (2013) and “Charade 13” (2003) by Melissa Meyer at the home of Andy and Anna Bush
