David Kratz

When David Kratz enrolled at the New York Academy of Art three years ago, at age 48, he talked a lot to his fellow students, who were mostly in their 20s, about studio practice, about his love of a certain shade of teal he used in flesh tones, about upcoming shows, but rarely about his life before he enrolled.

Its not hard to keep ones past life private with twentysomethings, many of whom have not yet acquired the kind of experience that breeds curiosity.

So almost no one there knew he had built and sold a public relations and marketing firm of 200 or so employees a few years before arriving at the academy. Nor did he mention that hed served on the schools board for a few years in the 1990s. I was afraid it would discredit me in their eyes, Mr. Kratz said.

As a result, when it was announced last spring, a year or so after he had graduated, that the unassuming and gentlemanly middle-aged man would be the schools new president, it came as something of a surprise to the students and faculty members who had encouraged and critiqued him. Charis Carmichael Braun, who was in class with Mr. Kratz, said she hadnt had extensive conversations with peers about the hire, but if she had, she was pretty sure they would have sounded like this: David? Why did ... did he ... what? Where did he? What?

As an artist, Mr. Kratz was seen at the school as something of a dark horse, said Ms. Carmichael Braun, who characterized him as a painter with relatively little experience, but one who diligently applied himself and flourished.

In the last year, his confidence with the brush has really increased, she said. Theres less hesitation, less searching it seems like hes on a track and knows where hes going. Ms. Carmichael Braun was authoritatively evaluating her own boss: Mr. Kratz hired her as his assistant not long after the academys board hired him.

As reinventions go, financially, Mr. Kratzs decision to enroll at the school, which is known for its focus on figurative art, was decidedly low-risk: He was already secure from the sale of his business. Nonetheless, Wade Schuman, a full-time faculty member who coordinates the painting department, said he has respect for people who enroll in art school at midlife, regardless of their financial standing. It takes more guts to do it then than when youre 21 and you dont even know what your risks are, he said.

Mr. Kratz, who hadnt had a boss since he was in his early 20s, definitely felt the emotional quirks of entering a new life in which he was, essentially, passing for someone of no obvious accomplishment.

All of a sudden youre going to parties and all my former friends were successful businesspeople and theyre talking about what theyre doing and you wouldnt have much to say, he said. And then youre surrounded by successful, prominent artists, and youre at the beginning and you dont have a lot to say.

After graduating (and winning a prize at graduation bestowed by the boutique paint company Vasari), Mr. Kratz retreated to a studio in Brooklyn where he painted for a year. Was he relishing the work? Or starting to get antsy about what would come next? Yes and yes, Mr. Kratz said. He was done promoting one dish soap over another, but only too happy to interview for a job that would keep him immersed in the world of art.

Just as every artist struggles to find the balance between the work and the promotion of the work, Mr. Kratz is trying to bring some of his efficient business practices to a relatively young arts institution (theres not even a sign for the school, which is on Franklin Street in TriBeCa, announcing its presence).

He has already made staffing changes, he says, and is planning to increase accountability for teachers. I knew when it was time to give an account executive a raise, he said. What are you measuring with teachers? (Theres a New York City schools chancellor he might want to have a word with.)

Mr. Kratz comes to the helm at a time of great uncertainty in academia, especially in the arts. When Parsons the New School for Design announced it would be laying off a dozen people last spring, the news sent ripples of anxiety through New Yorks community of artists, many of whom count on teaching to support their work.

Mr. Schuman, for one, takes heart in knowing that Mr. Kratz was an artist at the school, and therefore understands its inner workings and challenges.

That Mr. Kratz is not a starving artist, to the contrary, might only enhance his credibility: At a time of so much anxiety, its nice to know theres at least one boss who has the luxury of making choices based on idealism.