Ralph DeLuca (born May 13, 1976) is an American art advisor, and collector specializing in contemporary art and film memorabilia. DeLuca is an advisor to several celebrity clientele.[1]
Biography
DeLuca was born in East Hanover, New Jersey. He purchased his first print, from Salvador Dalí's The Divine Comedy suite, using his birthday money at age 13.[2] He first worked in finance on Wall Street and collected memorabilia. Following Tony Shafrazi's advice, he changed paths and became an art collector and advisor.[3] He has been collecting contemporary artwork since at least the early 2000s.[4]
He is a resident of Las Vegas where he bought and renovated Betty Grable's old house and has been an advisor of the Mob Museum.[12]
DeLuca has collected over 5,000 vintage posters, including for Dracula (1931), acquired in 2009 for $310,700 from actor Nicolas Cage, and Phantom of the Opera (1925), acquired in 2014 for $203,150.[2][13][14] In 2012, DeLuca purchased one of the few remaining original posters for Metropolis (1927) at auction.[15]
In November 2024, DeLuca began authoring a column called "Street Smarts" in Cultured magazine, offering advice about the contemporary art market.[16][17]
