VELVENOIR began where you least expect an art consultancy to take root—in the vast stillness of the Australian outback.
It was there, surrounded by red earth and quiet, that Alexandra Schafer first witnessed contemporary art not as an object, but as a living force. Indigenous artists were painting complex stories onto cotton canvases with pigments made from desert plants—offering the land back to itself through layered brushstrokes. Something clicked. In that moment, art stopped being a luxury or an asset. It became a responsibility.
That was the beginning.
What started as an online gallery in 2014 soon evolved into something much deeper: a global consultancy rooted in personal relationships, curatorial discernment, and emotional resonance. A quiet force that now builds private collections in Zürich, Vancouver, and New York, and curates contemporary art for landmark hospitality projects such as Andaz Prague, Mandarin Oriental Savoy, The Florentin Frankfurt and Family owned Hotels around the world.
“Velvet” speaks to legacy—its soft richness, its association with theatre, nobility, and art history. Velvet wraps. It absorbs. It invites touch. It represents the weight and warmth of a well-built collection.
“Noir”, the French word for black, adds contrast. Not just as a color, but as an idea—mysterious, powerful, emotionally charged. Black is the beginning and the end of every palette. In cinema, in painting, in photography, noir is where light finds tension and depth. It’s where stories live between clarity and ambiguity.
Together, VELVENOIR is a space of contrast and curation.
Where history meets the contemporary.
Where softness meets edge.
Where art becomes a mirror of who you are—and who you’re becoming.