Cardiff Dugan Loy holds a BA with honors in art history from Brown University. After graduating, Loy began her professional career by working at The Corcoran Gallery of Art, a private museum in Washington, DC. She then furthered her education by gaining an MA in Arts Management from Columbia University. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, Loy became the first curator for the private art collection of Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz; as well as for the corporate art collection of his company, CAA. She held this position for over seven years, honing her art advising talents by working with the world’s leading museums, auction houses, dealers and galleries. In 1997, Loy partnered with husband Eric in the founding of CDL, a private art advisory. Together they created a fledgling firm and built it into a leading provider of art advisory services for clients in both the United States and abroad.

Cardiff is an executive member of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA), the only organization that promotes and upholds ethics in the advisory field. She is dedicated to upholding its standards and practices in an otherwise unregulated industry.

Eric Loy holds a BA in theater and film from Occidental College. After graduation, Loy began an entrepreneurial career in both the entertainment and internet industries. In 1992, Loy formed his first company, Force Five Productions LLC. Force Five focused on the production of music videos and independent films, successfully teaming up with award-winning artists and directors Dustin Hoffman, Davis Guggenheim, and Vadim Perlman.

In 1997, Eric became the driving force in forming CDL, Loy’s idea was to channel Cardiff’s curatorial and arts management skills into an advisory service that serves individuals interested in building art collections. The couple not only tapped their many contacts throughout Hollywood, but also reached out to individuals across the United States and Europe. For over 20 years, Loy’s managerial expertise and strategic vision have been instrumental to the success of CDL.

In her role as Director at CDL, Kerin Backhaus manages logistics and daily operations for the company. She holds a MA in Arts Management from George Mason University as well as a BA in visual arts and sociology from Muhlenberg College. Kerin is experienced in providing the best client care and has managed the operations of visual art organizations, galleries and individual artist studios in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC.

As Executive & Sales Assistant at CDL, Natalie provides administrative and sales support for our entire team. Natalie holds a BA in art history, French and Francophone studies from the University of California, Los Angeles where she graduated magna cum laude in 2021. Her previous work experience across various sectors of the Los Angeles arts community in galleries, artists’ studios and institutions like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Hammer Museum proves to be a consistently valuable asset to our team and clients.