Enlarge Photo

Jessica Deutsch, a former Sotheby’s curator with a passion for history, art and travel, launched her company Arts to Life in 1997. Thanks to a well-connected network of curators, collectors, scholars and artisans, she can get secure behind-the-scenes access for her clients to some of the world’s most fascinating private institutions, homes and collections. What’s most important to Deutsch, who also curates an art gallery in London, is capturing the cultural heart of a destination through the exploration of history as well as decorative, performing and visual arts. Upcoming trips—groups are no larger than sixteen people, so they sell out fast—include one to Japan (Kyoto and Tokyo) in October 2008 and another to India, with a focus on gemstones and fabrics, in the spring of 2009.

In a Q&A with Indagare, Deutsch talks about style-focused trips to Paris and Italy and shares highlights of an upcoming Japan trip.

You’ve said that it’s important to see a destination through the “eyes of its people.” Can you share an anecdote where you facilitated this? In 1991, when I was working for Sotheby’s, I brought a group of American art aficionados to London. I was given a list of contemporary galleries I should visit, but after previewing the cutting-edge works in each place, I wondered how they would understand what these English artists were talking about if I simply trotted them through the displays. So I first led my group to Brixton [south of London], which was quite a rough area at that time. I took them to artists’ studios and run-down galleries, then to lunch in a local pub. And everyone was thrilled. They chatted with locals and began to understand what the artists were addressing: the social issues, the street culture. They felt part of the times.

What trip presented the biggest challenge to you in terms of logistics? All my journeys are challenging, as they contain hard-to-access private collections. All the planning relies on the strength of reputation, so nothing can go wrong. My Paris trips are probably the hardest to do, because they’re so complex and I want them to be absolutely perfect.

What art disciplines are you most passionate about personally? Architecture and jewelry, as I lectured on 20th-century jewelry designs when I was at Sotheby’s. But arts and crafts generally get at the heart of what I love about travel and exploring different cultures: they’re what makes history come alive.