Cristina Grajales, one of the most respected dealers in the design world, joins Fernando Mastrangelo for a historical, deeply personal conversation. She is also Fernando's new gallerist, and his solo show, Territories, opens October 8 at her Tribeca gallery.
Cristina takes us from her childhood in Colombia's coffee region, through a job in the DA's office, to an accidental start in design. She went on to run Tony DiLorenzo's legendary 1950 gallery, bring Charlotte Perriand to America, open her own gallery in 2001, and help launch Design Miami as an original exhibitor. Along the way she shares stories about Jean Prouvé, Jean Royère, Hechizoo and the early days of the collectible design market, plus her philosophy on trust, editing and treating everyone with dignity.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
1:37 Growing up in Pereira, Colombia
8:25 New York and the DA's office
12:03 Accidentally entering design
14:10 Tony DiLorenzo and 1950 gallery
21:43 Jean Prouvé chairs and the rise of the market
23:17 Bringing Charlotte Perriand to America
26:18 Starting her own gallery
27:31 The Sandy Hill commission
36:27 Selling the Jean Royère Yo-Yo sofa
37:51 Hechizoo and Latin American craftsmanship
41:40 The first Design Miami
47:26 How she works with designers
49:12 How Cristina and Fernando met
58:08 About Territories
Guest: Cristina Grajales, founder of Cristina Grajales Gallery
cristinagrajales.com
Instagram: @cristinagrajalesgallery
See the show: Fernando Mastrangelo: Territories
Opening October 8, 2026 at Cristina Grajales Gallery
50 Vestry Street, Tribeca
