It Takes Two
February 21, 2024

If we were asked – “what do you want to be when you grow up?” – neither Olga nor Leeza would ever imagine that they would become gallerists. Both Olga and Leeza have initially chosen the field of International Economics. Olga, a graduate of Harvard University, has been building her career at the World Bank, in Washington DC. Leeza, few years later worked for the United States Agency for Development with the advanced degrees from American University and University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Yet, coming to live in Naples changed everything. This supportive town gave us the opportunity to “dream an impossible dream and reach an unreachable star”. Art collecting and sharing it with fellow art lovers has always been our most precious desire.

In October 2000 a new art gallery appeared on the Naples’ art scene – East West Fine Art, bringing the best art pieces from more than twenty countries. Pretty soon Olga and Leeza came to realization that being a gallerist is not a profession, but a lifestyle: you never stop working. But no other job brings so much joy, allows you to meet the most interesting people, and facilitates personal growth.
In the course of 23 years the gallery became a real landmark in Southwest Florida. Olga and Leeza use their personal connection to artists and in-depth knowledge of the art world in these regions, to bring in non-commercial, rare to find pieces from Eastern and Western Europe and Central Asia, as well as Australia, Southeast Asia.

What values do you both share?
Olga’s answer:
Integrity. After 24 years in business in Naples, our gallery has earned a reputation for having exciting, uplifting artwork, and top-notch client service.
We hold ourselves to a higher standard and feel that artwork should be beautiful and meaningful, not just decorative. Artists should have an academic education and use professional materials. The messages of the artwork should be positive, uplifting, exciting, thought provoking, and above all – beautiful!
When clients enter our gallery, our mission is not to simply sell them something. We offer guidance so that the artwork they acquire will be part of their family for years.
Clients to have an upscale experience when visiting our gallery, knowing that they will have the best prices and highly educated staff to advise them.

Leeza’s answer:
Community Service. East West Fine Art serves the community by acting as a cultural art center. Our artist exhibitions and cultural events are both entertaining and informative.
We host educational events for student and professional organizations, charities, Alzheimer’s patients, children’s groups, etc. We are highly active in Children’s and Animal welfare groups, regularly hosting fundraisers, and donating artwork to auctions. We hire interns from my Alma Mater – Community School, and from FGCU.
Clubs and professional associations invite us regularly to lecture and to record videos on Art and Beauty. I also write a monthly article on various Art topics in North Naples and Olde Naples News.
All of our gallery activities revolve around continually raising the level of the local art scene and giving back to our community.