Gifford Miller is now the chair of Liberty Art Title.


In the art world, few are safe from the headaches caused by stolen art, victimizing even people like Steven Spielberg, who bought a previously stolen Norman Rockwell painting last year.

But celebrities have financial resources to soften those blows, when they come. Average art collectors do not.
Stepping forward to help them is former Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan).

Instead of parlaying his name recognition into a lucrative lobbying or consulting career, Miller followed his love of art.
Last year, he and friend Brian Madden, who met while Miller was speaker, founded Liberty Art Title, a division of Madden's real estate title agency that insures clients from losing money on fraudulent artwork.

“People are being asked to take significant risks with their collection without guarantees,” said Miller, who serves as the company's chairman. “They want to be sure their investment is protected.”

The FBI estimates that stolen art costs the industry up to $6 billion annually due to reneged sales and other losses. Art collectors are hit especially hard after buying stolen art because, once stolen, pieces tend to carry a taint forever.
Though each title problem his company encounters might not be as dire as buying stolen work, loopholes and minor technicalities often sour sales.

Miller noticed a vacuum in the art world, an unregulated industry with little consumer protection. Miller and Madden looked to be pioneers in this new market.

“Art is an increasingly valuable commodity. People do a lot of crazy things with it,” Miller said. “Every day, people find title problems with works of art they've collected.”

Though the Council never delved into art insurance, Miller was a supporter for arts funding and made cultural funding a priority during his time in office. And while he knows his personal budget for art is not as large as that of some of his clients, Miller said, he does have his own small photography collection.

Though the art business is not a natural extension of political life, Miller said he has culled experience from his leadership position in the Council to inform his work at Liberty Art Title. 

“A lot of my experience is in managing a large organization and knowing how to advocate a cause,” Miller said. “There's not a lot of politics in the art world.”

To Miller, his niche in the art business is another example of how he views his political career, which began with a 1996 win for Council, a surprise victory in the 2001 speaker’s race, and ended with his losing finish in the 2005 Democratic mayoral primary.

“I've done pretty well in the past trying to seize opportunities where people haven't seen them,” he said.
He ruled out running for office again, but his passion for art has made for a smooth transition into his new professional life.

“For me, it's been pretty seamless,” Miller said. “It's a tremendous opportunity to work with people who care deeply about their collections.”