Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Audier DAlessandris.
Hi Marie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I founded The Selects Gallery in 2018 after spending more than two decades building global brands in the beauty, fashion, and luxury industries. Throughout my career, I worked with iconic companies including L’Oréal, Coach, and Coty, helping brands tell compelling stories and create emotional connections with consumers.
Photography had always been a personal passion, but the idea for the gallery emerged during my time as Chief Marketing Officer at Coach. At the time, I was leading the company’s transition from traditional print advertising to digital marketing. As budgets shifted online, I began to realize that fashion photography was losing one of its most important platforms. For decades, magazines had commissioned and supported some of the world’s greatest photographers, creating images that shaped culture, fashion, and visual storytelling. That ecosystem was changing rapidly.
At the same time, many of the photographers who defined the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s were reaching later stages of their careers. I became increasingly concerned that important archives, stories, and bodies of work could be forgotten, dispersed, or never fully appreciated by future generations. What began as an observation gradually became a calling: helping preserve and celebrate this extraordinary artistic heritage.
I founded The Selects Gallery to connect collectors with museum-quality photography and the stories behind it. From iconic photographers such as Norman Parkinson, Terry O’Neill, Robert Farber, and Chris von Wangenheim to contemporary artists shaping today’s visual culture, we focus on photography at the intersection of fashion, culture, and design.
What started as a passion project alongside my corporate career has grown into a gallery that works with collectors, interior designers, developers, and luxury brands across the United States and internationally. Beyond selling photographs, we spend a great deal of time educating collectors, curating exhibitions, and creating opportunities for people to engage with photography in a more personal way.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the journey has been helping people discover that collecting art does not require specialized knowledge or access to an exclusive world. The best collections often begin with a simple emotional connection to an image, a story, or a moment in history. Preserving those stories and helping them find new homes remains at the heart of everything we do.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has definitely not been a smooth road, but the challenges have been some of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
One of the biggest challenges was entering an industry where relationships and reputation are built over decades. I came from the world of luxury brands, where I had extensive experience building businesses and understanding consumer behavior, but the art world has its own ecosystem, history, and networks. Earning the trust of photographers, estates, collectors, and industry partners took time and persistence.
Another challenge has been changing perceptions about photography itself. While photography is one of the most influential art forms of the last century, many people still view it as more decorative than collectible. Part of our mission has been educating collectors about the historical, cultural, and artistic significance of photography and helping them understand why certain works deserve a place alongside more traditional art forms.
Like many entrepreneurs, I was also building the business while continuing to lead large organizations in my corporate career. There were many evenings, weekends, and early mornings dedicated to the gallery. The upside was that my experience leading global brands gave me a different perspective on storytelling, marketing, and building relationships, all of which have been invaluable in growing the business.
The pandemic brought a different set of challenges. Traditional gallery traffic disappeared overnight, and the art world had to rethink how it connected with collectors. In many ways, however, it accelerated trends that were already emerging. People spent more time thinking about their homes, collecting online became more accepted, and there was a growing desire to surround ourselves with meaningful objects and stories.
Perhaps the biggest lesson has been that building a gallery is not simply about selling art. It is about building trust. Collectors are often making deeply personal decisions, sometimes acquiring their first artwork and sometimes investing in pieces they hope to live with for decades. Helping guide those decisions thoughtfully and authentically remains both the greatest responsibility and the most rewarding part of what we do.
As you know, we’re big fans of THE SELECTS GALLERY. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Selects Gallery is a photography gallery specializing in limited-edition fine art photography at the intersection of fashion, culture, and design.
We represent and work with a carefully curated selection of photographers whose work captures defining moments in fashion, music, film, and contemporary culture. Our collection ranges from iconic images by photographers such as Norman Parkinson, Terry O’Neill, Robert Farber, and Chris von Wangenheim to contemporary artists whose work is shaping today’s visual landscape.
What sets us apart is that we approach photography not only as an art form, but also as a living part of how people experience their homes and spaces. Many galleries focus primarily on the artwork itself. We spend equal time helping collectors understand the story behind the image, its historical significance, and how it will live within an interior.
My background in luxury branding has also shaped the gallery’s approach. Throughout my career, I learned that people connect most deeply with stories. We bring that same philosophy to collecting. Whether it is a Vogue fashion story photographed inside the Soviet Union during the Cold War, a portrait that helped define a cultural icon, or a contemporary photograph documenting a unique moment in time, we help collectors understand not just what they are acquiring, but why it matters.
We work with private collectors, interior designers, developers, hospitality projects, and luxury brands. Our services range from advising first-time collectors purchasing a single piece to curating large-scale photography programs for residential and commercial spaces.
What I am most proud of is that, despite working with some of the most influential names in fashion, culture, and photography, we have built a gallery that feels educational and approachable. We want collectors to feel comfortable asking questions, learning the stories behind the work, and developing their own point of view. Whether someone is acquiring their first photograph or expanding an established collection, our goal is to make the experience engaging, informative, and personal.
Beyond the gallery itself, we have created experiences that bring people together around photography. Through exhibitions, salon-style gatherings, designer collaborations, and educational content, we aim to make photography more accessible while preserving the legacy of some of the most important image-makers of the last century.
At its core, The Selects Gallery is about connecting people with photographs that tell stories worth preserving and living with for generations.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I have learned is that no meaningful venture is built alone.
Like many entrepreneurs, I started with a vision, but The Selects Gallery would not exist in its current form without the generosity, guidance, and support of countless people along the way. Some introduced me to artists, photographers, estates, collectors, or designers. Others shared advice, opened doors, challenged my thinking, or simply encouraged me to keep going when the path forward was not always clear.
Throughout my corporate career, I learned the importance of building relationships, but entrepreneurship has taught me an even deeper lesson: the power of genuine connections. People are often far more willing to help than we imagine if they believe in what you are building and if you approach those relationships with authenticity, curiosity, and respect.
The gallery itself is built on connections. Connections between photographers and collectors. Between art and interior design. Between different generations. Between stories from the past and the people who will carry them forward. In many ways, my role is simply to facilitate those connections.
One of the things I appreciate most is how generous people have been with their knowledge. Many individuals who had spent decades in the photography, publishing, fashion, and art worlds took the time to share their expertise with me. Their insights helped me avoid mistakes, deepen my understanding, and develop a greater appreciation for the responsibility of preserving and presenting these works.
If there is one piece of advice I would share, it is to invest in relationships long before you need them. The most meaningful opportunities in my career and in building The Selects Gallery have rarely come from formal plans. They have come from conversations, introductions, shared interests, and people who were willing to help because a relationship had been built over time.
Looking back, I am grateful not only for what I have learned, but for the people I have learned it from. The gallery may carry my name as founder, but it is truly the result of a community of artists, collectors, designers, mentors, friends, and supporters who have contributed to its journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theselectsgallery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselectsgallery/
- Facebook: theselectsgallery
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/11250558
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC85rhozsCsXymq7hNmir7xQ
