The Limited Times

Major art galleries face the succession conundrum

10/14/2023, 8:14:14 AM

Highlights: Major art galleries face the succession conundrum. Their success is often based on a name, a person, a background. The handover is complicated. Decryption on the eve of the Paris+ fair, by Art Basel. Galleries are often linked to a name. But, without the monarchical rules that ensured the permanence of power, they are not protected from questions of succession. Some think about it, some don't. It's hard to project oneself, to imagine an end, when business continues.


INVESTIGATION - Their success is often based on a name, a person, a background. The handover is complicated. Decryption on the eve of the Paris+ fair, by Art Basel.

Galleries are often linked to a name, like dynasties. But, without the monarchical rules that ensured the permanence of power, they are not protected from questions of succession. Almost always, the success of a gallery is named after the person who created it. Expiry date? What really remains of the panache of the Leo Castelli Gallery, the discoverer of pop art in New York, who died on August 21, 1999 at the age of 91? Or the Galerie Denise René, queen of geometric abstraction in Paris, who died on July 9, 2012 at the age of 99? A case study as the second edition of Paris+ by Art Basel, the French version of the Swiss art fair Art Basel, opens at the ephemeral Grand Palais from 20 to 22 October. It announces 154 galleries, including 16 new ones, from 33 countries. This raises questions about their model, which is intensely personal, about their future, as their succession is not always assured. Some think about it, some don't. It's hard to project oneself, to imagine an end, when business continues...

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