Tag: Lisson Gallery

Olga de Amaral Connects Ancestral Roots and Modernism at Fondation Cartier

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An installation view of Olga de Amaral’s work at Fondation Cartier in Paris. © Olga de Amaral. Courtesy Lisson Gallery. Photo: March Domage

At 92 years old, Colombian textile and visual artist Olga de Amaral has recently seen a remarkable resurgence in recognition, with a growing market presence and heightened institutional interest that surged after her 2022 debut with Lisson Gallery. De Amaral’s rich body of work merges fiber art with the spiritual and natural essence of Colombia, blending traditional textile techniques with modernist explorations of geometry, color, materials and three-dimensionality. Her practice draws from her studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and her deep connection to pre-Columbian art and Colombian textile traditions.

In conjunction with Art Basel Paris, Fondation Cartier has mounted the first major European retrospective of her work, offering a comprehensive look at her artistic evolution. De Amaral treats textiles as a form of language, creating intricate, textured surfaces that play with light and space. Her works transcend functionality, serving as sacred monuments or portals, bridging the human and cosmic realms.

The exhibition is organized both chronologically and thematically, highlighting how de Amaral’s practice pushes the boundaries of textiles as a mode of expression. It showcases her modernist influences, including the Bauhaus, alongside her relentless experimentation with scale, materials, and light, always maintaining a deep connection to the natural world and the Colombian landscape.

This is the first retrospective in Europe of works by de Amaral, with pieces created in the 1960s through to the present. © Olga de Amaral. Courtesy Lisson Gallery. Photo: Cyril Marcilhacy

The basement spaces of the exhibition introduce visitors to Olga de Amaral’s expansive exploration over the past five decades, from her early works in the 1960s to her most recent creations. By freeing her pieces from the confines of the wall, the curatorial decision creates an immersive experience, allowing visitors to fully appreciate the elaborately intricate textures and the dynamic interplay between the threads, light and physical space. Upon closer inspection, her works reveal meticulous research into the multiplicity within a single entity, exploring endless variations of material and form.

De Amaral’s experimental approach engages with materials, composition and geometry. Her complex weaving structures incorporate woven strips of various colors, thicknesses, and materials—alternating wool, linen, horsehair, and even plastic threads. This experimentation allows her to transcend the flatness of traditional tapestries, creating volumes and surfaces that explore endless combinations and new visual codes. For instance, the Entrelazados (Interlaced) series intertwines strips of differing colors and textures, while works like Elementos rojo en fuego (Red Elements on Fire) combine wool and horsehair, and Luz Blanca features woven plastic strips that are braided, coiled or knotted.

The artist writes in the exhibition catalog: “As I build surfaces, I create spaces of meditation, contemplation and reflection. Every small unit that forms the surface is not only significant in itself but also deeply resonant with the whole. Likewise, the whole is deeply resonant of each individual element.”

The exhibition showcases her earliest explorations and experimentations with textiles, as well as her monumental works. © Olga de Amaral. Courtesy Lisson Gallery. Photo: March Domage

Floating freely, Olga de Amaral’s textile works trace their architecture and circular forms as the threads intertwine, giving viewers a glimpse of the broader conceptual explorations she embeds in them—one that transcends materiality and highlights the potential role of textiles as a bridge between earth, human creativity, and the cosmic order. Her weaving process is almost ritualistic, connecting deeply with ancestral traditions and symbolism while incorporating contemporary influences, such as her Bauhaus studies. It’s no surprise that many of her works feel rooted in pre-Columbian tradition, referencing sacred geometries and compositions reminiscent of feather art. For instance, Encalado en la azul (Whitewashed in Lime and Blue Lacquer) features purple and orange rectangular strips sewn together, painted in turquoise with a dense, irregular pattern on a woven cotton base.

De Amaral’s works elevate textiles into a three-dimensional space, as seen in her Lienzos ceremoniales (Ceremonial Cloths), where gold leaf interacts with light, resonating with the spiritual energy of Pre-Columbian Inca artifacts. This transcendence is also evident in the Estelas (Stars/Stelae) series from 1955, where gilded woven cotton structures are reassembled into monumental totems or menhirs. By applying layers of gesso, acrylic paint and gold leaf, she transforms these textiles into evocative forms reminiscent of the funerary and votive sculptures found at Pre-Columbian archaeological sites, unlocking secrets of the universe within their woven forms.

Fondation Cartier offers a fresh and exhaustive perspective on her career and unveils the full complexity of her artistic practice. © Olga de Amaral. Courtesy Lisson Gallery. Photo: March Domage

Olga de Amaral’s exploration of light, both in and emanating from her materials, is central to her practice. Her golden surfaces radiate a brilliance reminiscent of sacred pre-Columbian gold craftsmanship or astronomical phenomena, inviting contemplation of the energies that shape life in the universe. In parallel, other work mirrors and evokes the relationship between tecnè (craftsmanship) and nature, creating mystical landscapes or natural sensations through powerful material metaphors.

The immersive installation on the upper floor presents both earthy and ethereal works, transforming textiles into organic forms like rocks, lianas or the lightness of fog and moisture. For example, in her Brumas (Mists) series from 2013, suspended, coated threads transition from flat to three-dimensional forms, resembling fine rain. These colorful geometric shapes interact with the surrounding glass walls and the greenery outside, poetically reflecting the elements of air and water. In other works with earthier tones, such as Muro en rojos and Gran Muro, Amaral introduces horsehair, grounding the pieces in a more solid, layered texture, reminiscent of geological formations. These massive textile surfaces evoke the Colombian landscape, with its rivers, mountains and valleys around Medellín. Through these works, de Amaral captures the essence of the Andes, embodying their primordial energy and reinforcing the connection between human labor and the cyclical forces of nature.

The Brumas are diaphanous three-dimensional textiles that evoke water and misty rain. © Olga de Amaral. Courtesy Lisson Gallery. Photo: March Domage

The exhibition at Fondation Cartier successfully showcases one of the most significant aspects of de Amaral’s practice—her ability to root her work in ancient traditions and spiritual connections with nature, while transcending cultural boundaries. Her exploration of textiles reflects these materials’ ceremonial, historical and symbolic significance across cultures, grounding her creations in the earth and linking them to the natural world.

The shared etymology of “text” and “textiles” from the Latin texere (meaning both weaving and telling) further deepens the resonance of her work, aligning with the Inca’s use of knotted cords as a system for recording information. Through her practice, de Amaral reawakens textiles as a universal language, one that transcends cultural specificity and continues to evolve. As her work demonstrates, textiles are a language that speaks of time, place, and human existence, capable of endlessly unfolding and expanding as it leaves the loom.

With this exhibition, the Fondation Cartier foregrounds the boldness of textile art, long marginalized due to the perception of it as a decorative art practiced by women. © Olga de Amaral. Courtesy Lisson Gallery. Photo: March Domage

“Olga De Amaral” at Fondation Cartier, Paris, is on view through March 16, 2025.

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Elisa Carollo

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October 23, 2024
Highlights and Sales from an Effervescent Art Basel Paris VIP Preview

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Art Basel Paris 2024 on opening day. Courtesy of Art Basel

The majestic Grand Palais quickly filled with a steady stream of art lovers there for Art Basel Paris’ VIP preview day. The atmosphere was positive and the mood upbeat, spurring healthy sales and lively negotiations from the early hours. Collectors and professionals from across the globe descended on the preview, with many traveling from the Americas and Asia. Among the notable attendees were Chloe Sevigny, Natalie Portman, Owen Wilson, Princess Maria-Anunciata von Liechtenstein, Queen Rania of Jordan, Raf Simons, Sheikha Mayassa, Sheikha Nawar Al Qassimi, Philip Tinari, Massimiliano Gioni, Adrian Cheng, George Economou, Maya Hoffmann and Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, to name a few.

Pace Gallery’s booth “Mystic Sugar” curated by Paulina Olowska at Art Basel Paris. Sebastiano Pellion di Persano

At the entrance, Gladstone’s booth greeted fairgoers with a monumental Dubuffet hanging on the wall, juxtaposed with a sculpture by Sarah Lucas and drawings by Marisa Merz, an homage to the Arte Povera artists celebrated in the show at La Bourse—Pinault Collection. Pace Gallery stood out with “Mystical Sugar,” curated by Paulina Olowska, featuring an extensive work that dominated the booth alongside pieces by Louise Nevelson, Kiki Smith and Lucas Samaras. In the first few hours, all four of Olowska’s paintings sold, as did several sculptures by Nevelson and Smith. In the backroom, Lee Ufan’s Response from 2024 led sales, complementing works by Ufan, Agnes Pelton, Max Ernst, Leonor Fini and Alexander Calder.

Next door, Blum & Poe presented a solo booth of Asuka Anastacia Ogawa, which sold out by the afternoon, with prices ranging from $22,000 to $100,000. Not far away, Eva Presenhuber’s solo presentation of new works and furniture by Tschabalala Self also sold out in the early hours, with prices ranging from $175,000 to $320,000. Jeffrey Deitch curated a booth featuring rarely seen artists like Myrlande Constant and Ella Kruglyanska, with a focus on Judy Chicago and a standout selection of Rammellzee works, ahead of his upcoming show in NYC.

PPOW saw strong results, selling all of its Grace Carney pieces in the $20,000 to $30,000 range, along with a central piece, a large table with a hand-painted tablecloth and porcelain vases by Ann Agee, sold as a pair for $14,000-18,000. MASSIMODECARLO also did brisk work, selling twenty-five pieces on the first day, including a Matthew Wong painting consigned directly from the estate, presented alongside a work by Salvo. Other sales included a piece by Dominique Fung ($36,000), various works by Jean-Marie Appriou, two by Tomoo Gokita, three by France-Lise McGurn and one by artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, who currently have a museum exhibition at Le Musée D’Orsay.

Among the notable sales on the first day, White Cube sold a Julie Mehretu work for $9.5 million, a Howardena Pindell piece for $1.75 million and a Lucio Fontana slash for $1.3 million.

Jeffrey Deitch at Art Basel Paris. Photo by Andrea Rossetti. Courtesy of the artists and Jeffrey Deitch, New York and Los Angeles.

Standing out in the Hauser & Wirth booth was a striking spider by Louise Bourgeois, paired with a powerful Ed Clark, which reportedly sold by the end of the day for $950,000. Also sold was a work by Barbara Chase Riboud for $2.2 million and a large Mark Bradford for $3.5 million. Of particular interest, the external wall featured a large Jeffrey Gibson, hinting at a potential new collaboration with the gallery, while the other wall showcased a vibrant, explosive work by Frank Bowling. Meanwhile, Lisson Gallery sold two pieces by Colombian artist Olga de Amaral—one for $800,000 and the other for $400,000—both to a private U.S. collection. The sales coincided with the artist’s current show at Foundation Cartier in Paris, one of many exhibitions opening alongside Art Basel Paris.

Lisson Gallery at Art Basel Paris. Courtesy Art Basel

In celebration of Surrealism’s 100th anniversary, many booths honored artists from the movement in the city where it began. Di Donna offered a beautiful dialogue between Jean Tanguy and Wilfredo Lam, while Nahmad devoted their entire booth to works by Dalí, Picabia, Max Ernst, Tanguy, De Chirico, Picasso and Magritte, along with a stunning floating mobile by Calder. In the masterworks section, featuring pieces priced in the five- to six-digit range, Van De Weghe presented a 1964 Pablo Picasso and a 1985 Great American Nude by Tom Wesselmann, riding the wave of momentum from the “Pop Forever” show at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Tornabuoni’s booth featured a standout monumental map by Alighiero Boetti, covering an entire wall. New York dealer Aquavella showcased a series of masterpieces by Fontana, De Kooning, Basquiat and Thiebaud, with a gallery representative telling Observer that “a lot of good collectors” had come through throughout the morning.

Among the best-curated booths, The Modern Institute from Glasgow dedicated its entire presentation to a site-specific, immersive installation by artist Martin Boyce, titled Before Behind Between Above Below. Combining various works and elements, Boyce created a liminal interior space exploring the boundary between the real and imagined and the collapse of architecture and nature. The installation drew inspiration from Jan and Joël Martel’s cubist trees, first exhibited at the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925, right in front of the Grand Palais.

The Modern Institute at Art Basel Paris. The Modern Institute

Once the ground floor became too crowded to navigate, many collectors sought breathing room in the upstairs sections, where more space allowed for new discoveries, particularly in the terrace corridor of the “Emergence” section. A standout in this area was the experimental Jakarta-based gallery Rho Projects, showcasing Kei Imazu’s intriguing blend of historical memory, traces,and digital structures (priced between $15,000 and $20,000). Another highlight was a large, narrative-rich painting by young Polish artist Jeh Eustachy Wilsky, presented by Piktogram, stretching across the entire booth.

SEE ALSO: Lukewarm and Less Engaging, London’s 1-54 Had Little New to Say This Year

Upstairs also housed a range of thriving galleries, including Karma, Clearing, Mariane Ibrahim, Sultana and Société. Société’s booth had a future-forward feel, featuring Trisha Baga’s pictorial explorations of the digital realm and a divinatory video by Lu Yang. Nearby, Ortuzar Projects presented a solo booth of Takako Yamaguchi, fresh from the Whitney Biennial, which quickly attracted buyers. With prices set at $300,000, only three works remained by midday.

Throughout the VIP day at Art Basel Paris, the atmosphere was effervescent, proving that collectors are still eager and excited about bold new moves—especially with this being the first Art Basel in its new, opulent historic venue, which truly has no architectural equal worldwide.

SCAD at Design Miami Paris with an Alumni Booth presenting the work of Trish Andersen, Lærke Lillelund, Bradley Bowers and Eny Lee Parker. Photo Chia Chong. Courtesy of SCAD.

Design Miami Paris also saw a successful opening, launching its second edition the day before with a similarly packed VIP reception at L’Hôtel de Maisons. Inside the lavish 18th-century mansion, exhibitors presented a curated selection of historic and contemporary collectible designs, with strong sales early on. Notably, Galerie Downtown-LAFFANOUR (Paris) sold a full-scale Jean Prouvé post-war prefabricated house (1946) for over one million euros.

Among the standout presentations, SCAD took over the elegant staircase with a cascade of abstract forms and vivid colors in a fiber site-specific installation by artist and alumna Trish Andersen. The school also showcased the creative talents of alumni Lærke Lillelund, Bradley Bowers and Eny Lee Parker. Other highlights included fashion designer Rick Owens’ striking pair of Tomb Chairs in the gardens, presented by Salon 94 Design (New York), alongside rare pieces by Gaetano Pesce, such as his Palladio Cabinet (Milk colored prototype) (2007) and Flower Origami Table (2023). The award for “Best Gallery Presentation at Design Miami Paris 2024” went to Galerie Gastou (Paris) and Galerie Desprez-Bréhéret (Paris), which brought a significant collection of minimalist works by Jean Touret in wood and iron, shown in dialogue with contemporary pieces by Agnès Debizet.

The garden of Design Miami at the fair’s opening. IVAN EROFEEV

Art Basel Paris and Design Miami Paris continue through Sunday, October 20.

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Elisa Carollo

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October 17, 2024
Frieze London and Frieze Masters Announce 2024’s Participating Galleries and Programming

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Visitors at Frieze London in 2023. Photo courtesy of Linda Nylind/Frieze

As the art world copes with what feels like an abbreviated summer break and a crowded fall calendar looming, Frieze announced details for its upcoming London fairs, coming up on October 9-12 in The Regent’s Park. The 2024 Frieze fair in London will feature more than 160 galleries from forty-three countries, including some of the leading spaces in London’s gallery scene, with established names like Stephen Friedman Gallery, Alison Jacques, Lisson Gallery, Victoria Miro, Modern Art, White Cube and Thomas Dane Gallery plus spaces devoted to pioneering research on the latest contemporary art expressions, including Arcadia Missa, Carlos/Ishikawa, Leopold Thun’s Emalin and Maureen Paley. Among the international galleries returning to Frieze London are Gagosian, Goodman Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Gallery Hyundai, Tina Kim Gallery, Lehmann Maupin, Pace Gallery, Perrotin, Almine Rech, Thaddaeus Ropac, Esther Schipper, Sprüth Magers and David Zwirner.

What to expect at Frieze London 2024

Frieze London’s newly announced big change is the fresh floorplan by design practice A Studio Between. The new layout will give prominence to the fair’s curated sections, placing more emphasis on artists and discoveries.

Among those sections, “Focus” will feature thirty-four solo and dual presentations from artists and galleries spanning five continents. In the list of participating galleries and artists, we find that 56 Henry (New York) showcases powerful paintings by Jo Messer; El Apartamento (Havana, Madrid) brings Julia Fuentesal; Madragoa (Lisbon) takes the work of Jaime Welsh; and Gallery Vacancy (Shanghai) the work of Korean artist Sun Woo, among others. Meant to offer a platform especially to the young gallery community, the section is presented this year in collaboration with the brand Stone Island, which will help fund the participation of these emerging galleries.

Another interesting curated selection that will return this year is “Artist-to-artist,” which mounts six solo presentations chosen by world-renowned artists. This year’s edition will feature Appau Jnr Boakye-Yiadom, chosen by Glenn Ligon (Champ Lacombe, Biarritz); Rob Davis, selected by Rashid Johnson (Broadway, New York); Nengi Omuku selected by Yinka Shonibare (Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London); Massinissa Selmani chosen by Zineb Sedira (Selma Feriani Gallery, Tunis); Magda Stawarska chosen by Lubaina Himid (Yamamoto Keiko Rochaix, London); and Peter Uka chosen by Hurvin Anderson (Mariane Ibrahim, Chicago, Paris, Mexico City).

SEE ALSO: Observer’s Guide to 2024’s Must-Visit July Art Fairs

Finally, connecting material and some narratives that have become increasingly present in the contemporary art scene in recent years, Frieeze created a new themed section, “Smoke,” curated by Pablo José Ramírez (Curator, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles) and dedicated to ceramic works that explore diasporic and Indigenous histories. The section draws its title from El Animal Humo (the Smoke Animal), Humberto Ak’abal’s story of an enigmatic creature made of smoke that emanates from the soil as a sublime and disturbing manifestation of nature. Featured artists include Manuel Chavajay (Pedro Cera, Madrid, Lisbon), Lucía Pizzani (Cecilia Brunson Projects, London), Christine Howard Sandoval (parrasch heijnen, Los Angeles), Ayla Tavares (Galeria Athena, Rio De Janeiro and Hatch, Paris) and Linda Vallejo (parrasch heijnen, Los Angeles), who explore counter-archaeology, the continuum of ancestry and how materials bear witness to diasporic movements.

Koetser Gallery at Frieze Masters in 2023. Courtesy of Frieze and Michael Adair

What to expect at Frieze Masters 2024

This year’s Frieze Masters will feature 130 galleries from twenty-six countries mounting booths focusing on modern and classic masterpieces. Led by Nathan Clements-Gillespie, the fair will similarly try to be more artist-centered, with an expanded “Studio” section and a redefined floor plan designed to encourage creative connections across art history.

The fair will present long-time exhibitors such as Galerie Chenel, Richard Green, Hauser & Wirth, Lehmann Maupin, Skarstedt and Axel Vervoordt, as well as leading Korean dealers such as Arario Gallery, Gana Art, Hakgojae Gallery and Johyun Gallery. This year, there’s a solid contingent of galleries dealing in ancient Asian art on the roster including Gisèle Croës s.a, Rasti Fine Art, Carlton Rochell Asian Art, Rossi & Rossi, Tenzing Asian Art and Thomsen Gallery. First-time participants include Afridi (London), Bijl-Van Urk Masterpaintings (Alkmaar), Galatea (Salvador, São Paolo), Galerie Léage (Paris), Tilton Gallery (New York) and Trias Art Experts (Munich).

In terms of thematic sections, Frieze Masters will continue with the “Studio” section curated by British art historian and curator Sheena Wagstaff. This section focuses on practices that illuminate the interconnections between our civilization’s past and future. The line-up includes Isabella Ducrot, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Shirazeh Houshiary and Doris Salcedo

The other curated section, “Spotlight,” is curated by Valerie Cassel Oliver, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and previously senior curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, Texas. The section will focus on solo presentations by 20th-century artists, particularly overlooked artists and lesser-known works by established figures from the 1950s to the 1970s. Featured artists include Judy Chicago, Kulim Kim, Balraj Khanna, Donald Locke, Nabil Nahas, Nil Yalter and more.

Visitors at Frieze London in 2023. Photo courtesy of Linda Nylind/Frieze

Must-see Frieze Week shows

During Frieze Week in October, the vibrant London art scene will showcase a series of major institutional exhibitions that you’ll want to make sure to put on your art week itinerary. Those include: “Francis Bacon: Human Presenc” at the National Portrait Gallery; Lygia Clark and Sonia Boyce at Whitechapel Gallery; Michael Craig-Martin at the Royal Academy of Arts; “Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers” at the National Gallery London; “Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit” and the majestic Mire Lee’s Turbine Hall Commission at Tate Modern; Hew Locke at the British Museum and “Haegue Yang: Leap Year” at the Hayward Gallery.

A complete list of exhibitors and more information about 2024 programming can be found on the fair’s website.

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Elisa Carollo

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June 28, 2024
The Impact of Art Gallery Closures on Artists and Collectors

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Artist Maggi Hambling at an exhibition at Marlborough Gallery in London in 2020. Photo by Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images

Businesses open and close all the time, and art galleries are no exception. Dealers retire, others close up shop when bankruptcy looms, some die with no succession plan and still others simply decide, for a host of reasons, to exit the scene. In New York, Cheim & Read said its goodbyes in December and Helena Anrather shut its doors in March. The Fortnite Institute ceased operations earlier this week, and Betty Cuningham Gallery in the Lower East Side will end its two-decade run later this year. Yesterday (April 4), the 78-year-old blue-chip Marlborough Gallery, which has spaces in London, New York, Barcelona and Madrid, made headlines when it announced it would be closing in June.

Art galleries often run on slim margins to begin with, and the pandemic was tough on businesses across the board. Other recent NYC gallery closures: JTT, Foxy Productions, Queer Thoughts and Denny Gallery. London has seen a similar spate of closures as the local market has contracted. It’s not unusual for gallery owners to land on their feet—Jasmin Tsou, founder of JTT, became a director at Lisson Gallery. But for the artists represented by galleries that close and for the patrons who worked closely with said gallery owners to build art collections, the disruption can range from nuisance to traumatic.

Sculptor and installation artist Judy Pfaff could not have guessed that she would be without a New York City gallery for a very long time when legendary art dealer André Emmerich retired in 1997, but she waited seven years before she was brought into the Ameringer|McEnery|Yohe fold in 2004. “A few people talked to some dealers about taking me on, but they didn’t want to touch me,” she told Observer. “Then, it hit me that the art world has no memory; it doesn’t owe me anything; there’s no one knocking on the door. I better hold onto my teaching job and figure things out. It was a total reality check.”

But artists can and do up and leave their dealers—usually for reasons involving the advancement of their careers, but not always. Terry Dintenfass “never paid me, or it took forever to get her to pay me,” said painter Nancy Hagin. Sculptor William King left Dintenfass after she refused to give his then-girlfriend a show. “Robert Miller just wasn’t nice to me,” said painter Janet Fish. “Staff would roll their eyes when I walked through the door, as though they’re sorry to see me.” Alex Katz felt Pace Gallery “had low energy when it came to my work.” Pfaff left the Holly Solomon Gallery after thirteen years, when the dealer moved from a more spacious downtown address to a fifth-floor location on 57th Street “where I couldn’t get things in and out. There was only a passenger elevator.”

The point is that artists generally have choices. “There are some I worked with for forty years,” veteran dealer Betty Cuningham told Observer, “and I have been trying to get them situated with other dealers.”

She sees the closing of an art gallery as “harder for collectors than for the artists.” An engaged art dealer provides long-standing buyers with information on up-and-coming artists, as well as first dibs on artworks, and the insider access that potentially took years to develop isn’t easy to replicate elsewhere. Galleries also help their buyers sell. Cuningham is now returning work she took on consignment to collectors, though she wanted to make it clear she’s not completely retiring from the art world. “I can’t just store them,” she said of the consigned pieces but added that she and some of these consignors “might set up a separate arrangement” in which she looks for prospective buyers on their behalf.

Meanwhile, Cheim & Read director Maria Bueno planned to work with the gallery’s consignors and patrons in her “new venture Bueno & Co., which is a private fine art dealership and artist management service. Bueno & Co will open a private showroom in New York later this year.”

SEE ALSO: Yayoi Kusama Was the Top Selling Contemporary Artist of 2023

Given the bleak headlines, collectors might wonder what exactly one is to do if one’s preferred art gallery goes belly up. “When a gallery closes for good,” Thomas C. Danziger, a New York City attorney who specializes in art law, told Observer, “the question becomes: Who owns the art?”

That question is easier to answer when artists consign their work to galleries—at least in New York. The state’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law decrees that, should an art gallery become subject to a lien from a bank or face bankruptcy, consigned artwork can’t be taken by a creditor in payment of a debt but must be returned to the artist or their heirs, in the case of deceased artists. That law also requires dealers to place proceeds from sales of consigned artwork “in trust” for the artist, meaning galleries can’t use that money for any other purpose than paying the consignor. California and twenty-nine other states have similar legal protections for artists who consign artworks to galleries.

While those laws don’t apply to nonartist collectors who consign artworks to galleries, art collectors can protect themselves by filing a UCC-1 form for works on consignment. The form announces publicly that the consignor has a prior lien on their artworks, so in the event a gallery declares bankruptcy or a dealer disappears in the face of numerous creditors, leaving a warehouse full of art, the consignor has a legal right to take back their work. Ideally, the UCC-1 filing should occur at the time of consignment, but consignors would still be protected if they file in advance of a bankruptcy.

It’s a simple fix—the form is typically available online or the filing cost is nominal, usually $25—but many high-end consignors are reluctant to file the form, even when advised to do so by their lawyers. “They don’t want to announce publicly that they are looking to sell something, which a UCC-1 does,” New York City art lawyer William Pearlstein told Observer. “Some would rather stay private than disclose. Myself, I would rather be protected than private.”

Another less public protective measure art collectors can pursue is drawing up a consignment agreement with the gallery owner or dealer that explicitly states the artwork is the property of the collector rather than of the gallery.

That leaves one final question, which is whether there’s an epidemic of art galleries facing financial distress. Commentary on the state of the art market tends to be mixed, with art fair sales figures and the annual UBS market report generating pessimism and optimism in equal measure.

“There’s barely any credit and lending in the gallery sector and businesses are already heavily burdened with rents, so many don’t have spare funds to ride it out,” Dr. Clare McAndrew, a cultural economist and founder for the Dundrum, Ireland-based Arts Economics research firm, told Observer. She added that after the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, “many businesses were only starting to do well again in the last few years” and may not have the resources to weather this storm.

So, how can one know if a particular gallery might be in financial distress? Insiders, such as art advisors, art lawyers or other dealers, may have an inkling. Pearlstein said that offers of “huge discounts of expensive artworks or firing most of the staff” might suggest a gallery is in trouble. One also could conduct a UCC search to see if a particular gallery owes money to multiple lenders and if there are any tax liens (by the IRS or otherwise) or judgments based on a failure to pay rent or repay loans. The filings won’t tell a complete story, but for collectors who are feeling anxious, they’re a place to start.

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Daniel Grant

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April 6, 2024