Larry Gagosian - collector, art dealer number 1

[Евгений]

Gagosian called the "king of world art." In the west he is known for his crazy deals, love of fast cars and beautiful women, as well as a huge house Toad Hall in East Hampton.

The world's largest transatlantic art dealer, who is second in the list of 100 most influential people in the art world (after the billionaire owner of the auction house Cristie's Francois Pinault, rated American ArtReview), owner of five galleries around the world, Larry Gagosian.
Interview (October 2007g.Moskva)

Larry, at first a little about the history of your gallery: How to start your business is an art dealer and collector? How do you become one?

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Larry Gagosian: I was born and raised in Los Angeles. After university, replaced a lot of work trying to make ends meet. I remember myself: Parking in the parking lot worked to live. I did not think that ever going to engage in such business - buying and selling works of art, it's very rare and unusual type of business, it must be well-versed. I did not understand anything in this area and had no idea what the artist. My life has never been associated with art.

But once I saw a guy who was selling posters - branded kinoplakaty, which I liked. That day I decided to change jobs and start selling Parking posters. And it was the happiest day of my life. I actually started selling posters, among whom were old, dear. Then I was able to open a small store where they sold the frame to the posters and pictures (according to the Western press, Gagosian bought the posters for $ 2 per share, to insert them into the frame and already on sale at $ 15 - approx. Com.). From the frames was quite natural to go to the pictures. I plucked up courage and flew to New York, where he became acquainted with the artists. This started the history of my business as an art dealer and the history of my gallery.



  What kind of artists you have discovered yourself?
LG: Cecil Brown, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons. Our gallery, of course, very important to ensure that advance the careers of these artists. This applies not only to business and sales of paintings, but also manifests itself in caring for their development.

B.-S.: How? What has been the concern of this? Is it possible to manipulate the artist, the creative process, to stimulate performance artist?

LG: You know, the artists - a very independent people. Many of them live very isolated lives and are closed in themselves. They can not be manipulated. How can I encourage them? I go to someone in the studio to see what he has done over the past six months, and say: "You know, I did not think it's very interesting. And here it is - excellent." I'm just trying to give them the best advice, what I can. But the reaction depends on the artist, I can not predict it. For many artists, they are all different. Some very well-tuned, with easy to cooperate, with others - more difficult. So I'm working with them in different "forms". I'm trying to just believe in what makes an artist. Artist must always be taken seriously and listen to him. Yes, we work with money, the money play a role here, as in any other professional businesses. But this kind of a funny dance, play with the money. Do you want to achieve success and artists also want to be successful.

B.-S.: You always conclude exclusive contracts with the artists?
LG: I have exclusive contracts with many contemporary artists. But we need time to understand whether you need to conclude with one or another artist an exclusive recording contract.

B.-S.: How would you describe the work that brought to Russia?
LG: We were brought to Russia 40 works by the world's best artists of the twentieth century, and XXL, a general meeting of all my galleries. The exposition in Barvikha was everything - from the works of Picasso, Miro and Warhol to the most modern and current artists - the same Damien Hirst, Cy Twombly, Ilya Kabakov. Some works were exhibited here for the first time in the world - Damien Hirst made specifically for this exhibition, his work "The Origin of Midas" painted with real butterfly (it was acquired from the exhibition, Mikhail Fridman - approx. Com.), Jeff Koons, too, did the same job, Cecil Brown -- three.

What was the price range of items offered for sale in Barvikha, and what an art object is the most interesting and dear in your personal practice of art dealer?
LG: I was always embarrassed to talk about the price chain, it is considered unseemly. Although prices are, and if someone wants to buy something, then prices can be discussed. The price range is very wide.



You called one of the most influential art dealers and gallery owners in the world.
LG: I do not know what it means "powerful" what is measured by the impact. It is understood that I and my gallery is very influential, and that we represent many of today's greatest living artists of the twentieth century, and XXL. Is hard work - open the most significant among the artists now living. I am developing a gallery introducing the world's most incredible, in my opinion, artists - perhaps through this, I have influence. To be honest, I do not think that I am some sort of influential figure. Perhaps I am becoming more influential, increasing the influence of art-business world. I have been in sales and doing business with anyone who likes it. Of course, getting satisfaction from the career development of the artist - the feeling is not comparable to anything else. But this is a very big responsibility, because in my hands is concentrated enormous monetary power.

How do you otkommentiruete words of your colleagues about you: "He can buy the thing for 1000 dollars, and sell for 1 000 000 dollars? Many collectors openly envious of your talent and that talent to open future "stars" of the art market among artists. How do you manage it? And can it learn?
LG: I do not know, frankly, I can not know whether all this learning. But if you want to learn to be around. For example, I can not speak French. And you can ask me why I do not speak French.

Business, which I do - a combination of different things: a mixture of intuition, knowledge about the artists, their art, knowledge of the art market. Need to know well, who can be a potential buyer in what country. I always have my own information, but I respect her attitude or not depends on the source from which I received this information. This is a complex whole and intuition - only part of it.
I spend a lot of energy on your business, travel a lot, get in touch with buyers, but I like my business, I get great pleasure from doing them. The most important thing - you must love what you're doing, otherwise nothing happens.

For example, in America you can attend any courses that teach how to do business in the arts. But I did not study this specifically. In my opinion, one must possess the enthusiasm and have a certain flair. Buy something for a thousand and sell for a million dollars does not happen very often, but I have been doing that (laughs).

In your opinion, an art dealer can create a "star" of the unknown at the art market, artist or not?
LG: Yes, if it is a very good artist. People talk about me: "Larry can take anything and then sell it." This is not true. The artist must have talent. Perhaps such a big gallery like mine, can not afford to take some time a little-known works of the artist, then to see whether they will be popular, it will cause concern. But you can not just "promoutirovat" him, make him famous at the expense of advertising.

B.-S.: Damien Hirst, the award of the famous Turner Prize, is developing a well-known jeans brand. Does this make his art more fashionable?
LG: I think that the relationship of contemporary art and design, including the design of clothing - not news. That was before. Picasso collaborated with clothing designers Balenciaga, for example. However, it is not "cheaper", do not underestimate the bar of art, and fashion, not closer to art. This is just a PR kind of modern art - that attracted the attention of the press. But the art itself does not change.

B.-S.: You are friends with the artists whose works you sell?
LG: What are some artists I have a very close relationship - we were having dinner, friends for families vacationing together, and I become a member of their families, as they are - my own. Who are some of them are fastened and business and friendly relationship with someone - just business. It depends on the artist himself.

B.-S.: Your choice is always ensures that the top-works or is a top artist in the world?
LG: I have my gallery, and I am very proud of "their" artists. I would be glad to answer "yes", but respond well - not just in my nature. Someone else has other values, and his opinion may be different from mine. Each country has its own values. I love artists who can be "transferable" in the languages of other cultures who travel a lot, whose work can cause concern in Moscow, and in Korea, and New York's downtown, and in Manhattan. I work around the world. But for that artists should always something constantly create! If an artist produces one job in five years, I have nothing I can do!

B.-S.: Does the work of artists with whom you will never be parted again, that you leave at home? And what kind of work?
LG: I certainly have and its own collection of works that are like me and my wife. And this is probably inevitable. If you have a gallery and you sell works of art, you become part of this process. At home I kept working the same authors, which are displayed in my galleries around the world. But these works, I never selling, because it is - my personal treasures, with the other, personal, emotional value. They have become a part of myself.

B.-S.: Why did you decide to bring the work of its galleries in Russia?
LG: In Russia collecting already has its own tradition, and that is very important to me, Russia - a country that has a long history of art. This is a very special country with great traditions and history, with major museums, such as Pushkin and the Hermitage. Already, Russia has a number of collectors who are interested in cooperation with our gallery, and the development of a class of collectors, in particular, contemporary art in Russia was the main reason I agreed to do an exhibition here.

B.-S.: You are not going to later open its gallery in Russia?
LG: I have no such plans. What you see today - a kind of experiment. All depends on how things go. While I do not know for sure whether I do it, I'll be back to Russia. Maybe I'll do it and

[color="# 666686"]Added 2 hours 37 minutes[/color]
Although no official confirmation, the evidence suggests that the center of contemporary culture ( "Garage" Dasha Zhukova) involved the world's largest dealers, one of them - Larry Gagosian.

[iside]

Сообщение от Eugene, 19 015"

Then I was able to open a small shop where he sold the frame to the posters and pictures (according to the Western press, Gagosian bought the posters for $ 2 apiece, insert them into the frame and already sold $ 15 - approx . author.). From the frame was quite natural to go to the pictures. I plucked up courage and flew to New York where he became acquainted with the artists. With this began the history of my business as an art dealer and the story of my gallery.

State, that he did not mention the name of Leo Castelli, Leo, without there would be no Larry G. - number 1. From the biography written by Leo Castelli Annie Cohen Solal, I for a long time I read, I can not finish, that Larry had fled from Los Angeles, there is something wrong when he sold posters, the reputation he had ruffled and that Leo took his cash-strapped and desperate under his wing, taught him everything , allowing you to work with some of his artists, introducing to collectors and entering in the appropriate circle in NY. And while Leo was alive, they remained friends and partners, I see now he forgot about it, either as journalists always something unfinished.

[NATA NOVA]

Eugene, it would be good to specify the source itself ..

Interview with a 5-year-old

taken from here:

http://style.rbc.ru/person/2007/11/23/40232.shtml

?

[Artforboy]

would be nice to know his contacts)

[luka77]

Artforboy, on facebook you can find it

[Eriksson]

Сообщение от NATA NOVA

Eugene, it would be good to specify the source itself ..

Interview with a 5-year-old

And hanging from the post of Eugene in 2008 ...
<! - ~ 1 ~ ->

[NATA NOVA]

Сообщение от Artforboy

would be nice to know his contacts)

Сообщение от luka77

Artforboy, on facebook you can find it

Yes, he (Larry Gogosya, user) and the AI ​​is ..
<! - ~ 1 ~ -> (and where to look admins <! - ~ 7 ~ ->

[Artforboy]

NATA NOVA, the AI?
Unscramble please)

[Grigory]

Сообщение от Artforboy

AI?
Unscramble please)

AI is artinvestment.ru

Сообщение от "NATA NOVA; 1999551 '

Yes, he (Larry Gogosya, user) and the AI ​​is

Only he writes in Russian ip address!
<! - ~ 1 ~ ->

[John Preston]

Сообщение от NATA NOVA

Yes, he (Larry Gogosya, user) and the AI ​​is ..
<! - ~ 1 ~ -> (and where to look admins <! - ~ 7 ~ ->

NATA NOVA, under that name on the AI ​​- the other person.