NEW YORK—While auction houses continue to make headlines as art and antiques dealers sell off their inventory, a private dealer of Japanese art for nearly 30 years has decided to go public. Joan B. Mirviss Ltd. will debut the new space on September 17 with “Views from the Past, Visions of the Future: Masterworks of Japanese Art.”

“My goal is to have a public façade whereby I can present exhibitions to the public on a wide range of topics, most importantly for photo exhibitions or thematic exhibitions having to do with modern and contemporary Japanese clay art,” Mirviss says. “I wouldn’t be able to do that as a private dealer because I wouldn’t have a venue—I presently work from my home.”

She hopes to welcome clients who may otherwise be intimidated by a private dealer to come and visit her public gallery. “I think by having a public space I will be able to encourage potential and existing clients to come on a more regular basis,” she says. “I’m also located in close proximity to a substantial proportion of my clientele. It will be a place where people can just drop in.”

Mirviss, who maintains a large base of dedicated clients, said that she still plans to make some deals private. “So far, people have been hugely supportive and enthusiastic. Once I explained to them all my reasons, everyone has said that it’s a great idea. I am still planning on keeping top-quality material here in this [current] showroom for those clients who might think [the new gallery] is not for them. I imagine that I will still maintain a presence privately for them.”
 
Joan B. Mirviss Ltd. will be located at 39 East 78th Street in New York.