A single framed painting illuminated by a shaft of warm gallery light

Est. 2026 · New York

A life's work, placed with care. Legacy and new voices.

An online auction and resale exchange for legacy and emerging art — with deep specialization in African American masters, estate collections, photography, painting, and sculpture. Authenticated. Transparent. Stewarded.

$67.8B
U.S. art market, 2025
+40%
African American art, YoY
~24%
Total take rate
$84T
Wealth transfer underway

§ 01 — The problem

The market is opaque, expensive, and slow.

Estates pay 25–35% in fees.

Traditional auction houses bury the take rate in seller commissions, buyer premiums, photography, and marketing levies. Heirs see a fraction of the hammer.

Mid-value works are overlooked.

Works between $1,000 and $100,000 — the heart of most estates and emerging careers — receive little curatorial attention from the major houses.

Provenance is a guessing game.

Buyers shoulder authentication risk. African American masters, in particular, lack the catalogue raisonné infrastructure of their European peers.

Emerging artists lack a credible secondary channel.

Living photographers, painters, and sculptors have few paths to reach serious collectors outside of gallery gatekeeping. Their work deserves the same rigor as legacy estates.

§ 02 — The exchange

A modern house, built for the secondary market.

Four interlocking services replace the auction-house monolith — each priced clearly, each measured against the standard of a great gallery.

I

Timed Online Auctions

Curated 10–14 day sales with staggered closings, designed for the rhythm of online bidding. Photography, painting, and sculpture.

II

Fixed-Price Marketplace

Immediate sale with private offer capability for collectors and institutions. Works by emerging and legacy artists, side by side.

III

Authentication & Provenance

In-house specialist review supported by an external network of artist foundations, appraisers, and living artist studios.

IV

Artist & Estate Concierge

White-glove service for heirs and living artists alike: valuation, photography, shipping, and tax documentation — handled.

§ 03 — Schedule of fees

Posted, plainly.

A total take rate of approximately 24% — materially below the 27–35% charged by traditional houses. No surprise levies, no quiet deductions.

~24%

Total transaction cost

Seller success fee10% of hammer
Buyer's premium15% of hammer
Listing fee (optional)$25 – $100 / item
Authentication$250 – $1,500 / item
Dealer subscription$150 / month
White-glove concierge$1,000 – $5,000 / collection
A conservator examining the provenance documentation on the verso of a framed painting

§ 04 — For artists & estates

Stewardship for every stage of a career.

For executors, attorneys, families, and living artists, the placement of a work is rarely just a transaction. For estates, it is the closing of a chapter. For emerging artists, it is the opening of one. Our concierge handles every step — appraisal, photography, authentication, marketing, shipping, and tax reporting — with the discretion the work deserves.

  • Complimentary preliminary valuation within seven days
  • Estate-attorney referral program with transparent terms
  • Direct relationships with artist foundations and museums
  • Insured fine-art shipping through vetted partners
Speak with the concierge
Close detail of warm ochre and ivory brushstrokes on a textured canvas

Detail: impasto study, mid-century, private collection.

§ 05 — The specialization

African American masters and tomorrow's voices.

Works by Charles White, Alma Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett, Norman Lewis, and a generation of their peers are setting records — yet remain undercurated in the mainstream secondary market. We treat this category as the discipline it deserves: with scholarship, catalogue depth, and institutional relationships. We also welcome emerging photographers, painters, and sculptors building the next generation of the canon.

50+

Estate attorneys in network

20

Museum curator relationships

$15M+

Estate art advised to date

2

Inaugural LOIs signed

§ 06 — A note from the founder

I spent a decade placing important African American works at Christie's. The artists I most admired — and the estates that carried their legacy — were too often the ones least served by the model. Legacy Art Exchange is the house I wished existed.

Baron Murdock

Founder & Chief Executive

Former Advisor, Merrill Lynch · Citigroup · Morgan Stanley · Family Office Founder

§ 07 — Inquiries

Place your work with the next generation of auction.

Tell us about the work or the collection, and attach any provenance documents you have. Whether you are an estate, a collector, or a living artist, a specialist will respond within two business days with a preliminary path forward, and you will receive email updates as your inquiry progresses.

The work

Submissions are confidential and reviewed by a specialist before any further contact.