ABOUT LONI
FOUNDER
ilon Art Gallery & Advisory, 2014 and ilon & Company, 1996
I opened ilon Art Gallery and advisory in 2014. The gallery is a boutique art gallery located in the heart of Harlem. The gallery began showing only 20th-century and contemporary photography from the favorites to the emerging photographers but has added street art, sculpture, and painting.
My story began back in the early 1990s while working as a black-and-white printer and archivist for Annie Leibovitz. Realizing the need for archival services for photographers, I opened ilon & Company and began working with the industry’s top photographers and artists. My first client, after Annie, was this up-and-coming artist David LaChapelle. Steven Klein, Joel Meyerowitz, and The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation joined by roster. As the years went on the list continued to include the “greats” such as the Starn Brothers, Richard Gere, Alfred Wertheimer, Gilles Peress, Michel Comte, Philippe Halsman, and still continues to grow with Pamela Hansen, Bob Gruen, Roxanne Lowit and Lynn Gilbert.
I am a teacher and educator to my clients; technology training, and best archiving practices. I am a certified Filemaker consultant and I design custom database solutions in Filemaker to fill a void in my archival practice. My database solutions are designed to complement the existing archives or to organize and monetize my clients’ businesses.
As nearly three decades passed I wanted to reach everyday working photographers and industry professionals too. I designed a cost-effective solution for everyday working artists; iArchive and my iDatabase solutions were born. These are "out of the box” solutions: iArchive, iGallery, iCollect, iManage and iInventory. These solutions are for photographers, artists, galleries, collectors, agents, producers, prop houses, closets and holders of large inventories. These solutions help archive, organize and monetize their businesses at a fraction of the cost of a custom solution.
I am a curator and editor. I have worked on many books and exhibitions with David LaChapelle, Mark Seliger and Keith Richards to mention a few. I have been editing for Keith Richards for over 20 years and was the photo editor on Life, his award-winning autobiography. Immediately following I was a contributing editor to Ladies and Gentleman...the Rolling Stones by Taschen and Photo Editor for Every Nights a Saturday Night by Bobby Keyes. I have worked on numerous other books and have gained a niche in musicians’ autobiographies.
Over the years, I have curated many gallery and museum exhibitions. I organized a world tour of In My Stairwell with Mark Seliger for six years. I helped him open 401 Projects, a collaborative art gallery working on shows with artists such as Eikoe Hosoe and Albert Watson and my inspiration for ilon Art gallery.
I have curated over 30 exhibitions at the ilon Art Gallery. The gallery provided an outlet for me (as a curator) and my artists to show their work. It is a place where lovers of art can view art in a classic, late 1800s Harlem brownstone. The walls are various colors and the woodwork throughout invokes the galleries of the past in a warm intimate setting. I host events such as openings, lectures, photoshoots, movie premiers and other events for art. ilon Art gallery brings my love of photography and art to a community that loves and appreciates art and that did not have any such venue.
On the collecting side, I help my clients build and manage their photography and art collections. I constantly add new work to the inventory. I believe the collection of art is as much an effective financial venture as it is a means of personal expression. I graduated with a business and photography degree. My mantra is art can provide pleasure and add beauty to your home but at the same time help you diversify your investment portfolio and increase your net worth.
In 2020 I launched a digital storefront on the Artsy.net platform. In 2021 I launched The NFT shop. In 2022 I opened The ilon Art Gallery Shop at ilon.com offering artist collaborations with hoodies and glasses, and usable art. And in 2022 opened a storefront on the Opensia.io platform to further engage in the NFT art world.
I am a member of APAG (American Photographers Archives Group) and ASPP (American Society of Picture Professionals). I am a founding member of Harlem Park 2 Park and a founding member of Harlem Days Harlem Nights. These groups believe if we work together we can build a better Harlem and show the world what Harlem has to offer.
Watch for Harlem Art House….my newest venture.
ilon and Company | Artists & Photographers
Archives: I have worked extensively with the artists below to set up, organize, archive their work and
entire collection. As unique as each photographer so are these projects:
Michel Comte
Todd Eberle
Pari Dukovic
Richard Gere
Lynn Gilbert
Bob Guren
Philippe Halsman
Patti Hansen
D
on Hunstein
Kelly Klein
Steven Klein
David LaChapelle
Annie Leibovitz
Roxanne Lowit
Alen MacWeeny
Joel Meyerowitz
Platon
Keith Richards
Robert Mapplethorpe
Jane Rose
Ronnie Buchman Schonzeit
Mark Seliger
Alfred Wertheimer
FileMaker Programming Projects: I am a certified Filemaker developer and part of the
FBA (Filemaker Business Alliance) since the late 90’s. I have developed six solutions, iDatabase solutions: iArchive, iArchive Basic, iCollector, iGallery, iManager, iInventory. These are a starting point to create a personalized solution while reducing the tremendous cost of custom software development. Most iDatabase solutions are further customized to the client needs. I have listed my significant database projects below.
Peter Arnell
Jonathon Becker
Harry Benson
Banks Street School for Children
Blank Digital
Bob Bonis Archives
Marisa Cardinale
Cloak Wardrobe
Crescendo Music
: Grey Advertising
David Copperfield
Michel Comte
Craig Cutler
Sante D’Orazio
Pari Dukovic
Drew Doggett
Todd Eberlee
Harold Feinstein
Free to Be Under 3
Lynn Gilbert
B
ob Gruen
Pamela Hanson
Don Hunstein
In Pursuit of Tea
Kara Packouz
Win Knowlton
Steven Klein
Diana Krall
David LaChapelle
Erica Lansner
Fay Lansner
Frans Lanting
Lion TV
Annie Leibovitz
Roxanne Lowit
Lost & Found Props
Gered Mankowitz
Craig McDean
Steven Meisel
Joel Meyerowitz
JSM Music
Tom Munro
Michael O’Neill
Gilles Peress
Don Ross
Elliot Ross
Lion TV
Manhattan Country School
Mark Shaw
Management Artists Organization
Museum for African Art
Nick Robinson Gallery
Platon
Plum Reps
Primus
Proof
Proof Films
Pulse Art Fairs
Punyc Archive
Prop Haus
Montana Rader
Elliot Ross
RR Rentals
Keith Richards
Robert Mapplethorpe
Foundation
Kate Ryan
Sarah Laird & Good Company
Susan Saradon
Stephane Sednaoui
Mark Seliger
Starn Brothers
Tadasky
Fred Torres
Alen MacWeeney
Judith Kaufman Weiner
L
ally Weymouth
Alfred Wertheimer
Tobin Yelland