Armenian-born and Californian by adoption, one of the world’s most important art-businessmen, Larry Gagosian has announced the birth of a his new baby. “The gallery will be open to the public on September 25, 2009”. The website of the famous gallery has officialised the news: Gagosian is invading Greece and more precisely number 3 of Merlin Street in Athens.
Having put aside for the time being the inauguration in the difficult climate of Moscow, Gagosian’s art multinational par excellence is moving forward, and for its eighth exhibition space – of the others, three are in New York, two in London, one in Los Angeles and one in Rome – he has chosen the Greek city.
While galleries of contemporary art are still dozing due to the summer heat, the very wealthy manager, always full of intuitions, is preparing strategies for the autumn season, landing in Greece, which is “populated” by names such as Dakis Joannou, Dimitris Daskalopoulous and Dinos Martinos, great art collectors recognised at international level.
As in the case of Rome (opened in 2007), the debut of the gallery will be assigned to Cy Twombly, one of the highest quoted living artists on the art market, with the painting exhibition entitled Leaving Paphos Ringed with Waves. According to the latest online rumours, the new deed of Larry Gagosian – who in the meantime has even opened a company office in Hong Kong – will be directed by the heiress Marina Livanos.
Experts of the art economy are trying to explain Gagosian’s investment in the Greek capital, “market” of little charm for the international art market, but “The Shark” – as he is called in the sector for his craftiness and voraciousness – must have scented a trading climate with excellent possibilities of expansion. The art market is now worldwide, and the Gagosian as an international gallery does not operate locally, but only globally. The objective of the new Athenian deed will be to promote and promulgate works of art, keeping away the worldly aspect of the matter which is increasingly catching on in the artistic world.
“Larry Go Go”, another name given to the 63-year-old Californian gallery owner, started his career by commercialising posters and bills near UCLA university, and then opened in 1979 the first Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles. Over the years he has organised exhibitions of the main contemporary artists, from Francis Bacon to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Roy Lichtenstein, as well as historical masters such as Picasso, De Kooning, Giacometti, Warhol, Pascali and Boetti. His rich stable of artists includes the highest paid ones in the world, from Damien Hirst to Jeff Koons and Richard Serra and many other contemporary artists for whom Mr. Gagosian “worked miracles”, he who is the man also known as the star of auctions worldwide for his record offers on behalf of collectors who want to remain anonymous. Indeed, in 2007 he confirmed his influence on the market when he thrashed all previous records and bought two sculptures by Koons: Hanging Heart (magenta/gold) for more than 23 million dollars sold at Sotheby’s New York and Diamond (blue) sold at Christie’s New York venue for about 11,8 million dollars.
Shy, anti-worldly and reserved, Larry Gagosian releases few statements but he is always under the mass media spotlights. Besides the announcement of the opening of the new gallery in Athens, another piece of news has started circulating. The Gagosian Gallery in the Big Apple has taken federal action against Lufthansa and others to get compensation for damages, after a painting by Brice Marden was destroyed. Realised in 1969 by the American artist, Au Centre would be estimated at 3 million dollars. The painting would have been destroyed last year while it was being transferred from Moscow to New York. The painting, a two-panel work in two shades of grey, would have come loose in its travel frame while it was being transported, resulting in a loss of colour and the consequent destruction of the work. The gallery sued the airline company and Art Crating Inc. in June, before the state jurisdiction of New York, but the case was referred to the federal Court on 21st August.
