Trotta-Bono Contemporary

In 2014 James Trotta-Bono founded Trotta-Bono Contemporary as a vehicle to combine his decades-long art background with an aligned and evolving passion for Contemporary Art. James serves as the youngest board member of the EAC (Ethnic Arts Council) and was a founding member of the Hammer Museum’s Hammer Collective. 

A native New Yorker born into a family art business, James is an entrepreneur serving as a gallerist, curator, consultant and philanthropist. James received a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University and has continued his education through specialized post graduate courses in the arts. The primary focus of Trotta-Bono Contemporary is on 20th and 21st Century Native American art. As a supporter of creative activists, James focuses on art that has the ability to influence social perceptions and our understanding of the American Art Narrative. As a philanthropist, he focuses on donating to causes that support these beliefs. 

James holds numerous accomplishments in his fields, including setting record prices in various private sale categories. He has co-written, edited and published “To Satisfy the Desires of the Soul”, a major contribution highlighting the artistic culture of the Eastern Woodlands Tribes. James currently serves as a co-advisor and co-curator for The William P. Healey Collection of Native American Art and represents the Baum Collection (a seminal grouping of artwork by Betye Saar, Alison Saar and Lezley Saar).

James has curated solo and group shows in Paris, New York City, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Santa Fe, including the critically acclaimed shows, “On the Frontier: The Art of José Bedia” and “Looking Forward Through the Past: Contemporary Native American Art” at El Museo. James recently co-curated a groundbreaking show at Phillips in NYC titled, New Terrains. This monumental survey show, spanning nearly 20,000 sq ft, received rave reviews for its contribution to the quickly-rising field of Contemporary Native American Art.

Trotta-Bono Contemporary has assisted clients in negotiating individual artworks as well as entire collections for private and public sale. We successfully placed the Estate of George Terasaki with Schweizer Premodern and Sothebys in the fall of 2019. We have negotiated terms for major works by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Agnes Martin, Andrew Wyeth, Damien Hirst, Julian Schnabel, Betye Saar, George Morrison, Fritz Scholder, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, among many others. Trotta-Bono Contemporary has placed artwork into public and private Institutions including Art Bridges, Art OMI, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Georgia Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, The Hood Museum of Art, The Horseman Foundation, the ICP (International Center of Photography), LACMA, Musée de l’Homme, SLAM (St. Louis Art Museum), TIA Collection and Wichita Art Museum.

Trotta-Bono Contemporary runs a private gallery in Venice, California, where we highlight intimate exhibitions and rotating artworks. To schedule an appointment please contact - info@tbcontemporary.com.