French gallerist Daniel Lelong, who has established a deep relationship with the most important and influential modern artist of the 20th century, passed away this morning at the age of 92.
“He lived a long and wonderful life.” Galerie Lelong & Co. Mary Sabbatino, vice president and partner, told Artnews. She has been working with Lelong since 1990. “It’s always sad, you know, but it’s not a tragedy. It’s really a lifetime. He enjoyed his life. You can feel it all the time. He always smiles. He always smiles. He’s really happy to be an art dealer.”
The gallery CEO and remaining original partner Jean Fremon told Artnews In an email, “What can I say? Daniel and I have been business partners for the past 50 years. Anyone who knows Daniel will remember that he is a passionate and positive person.”
Fremon noted that Lelong had quit his daily routine in his gallery of the same name for the past 15 years, but the two have maintained a close relationship “until the last days.”
Born in Nancy, France in 1933, Lelong studied law at Conseild’état and served as a civil servant. Aimé Maeght, an influencer of French art dealer, collector and publisher at the time, invited Lelong to draft regulations that would become the first contemporary art foundation and museum: Marguerite and Aimé Maeght Foundation.
Lelong called the experience a “exciting adventure.” “There was no model of this status: there was no French modern art or the foundation for modern art at that time,” he told him. Flash Art 2014.
The foundation opened in 1964 and Lelong asked for a leave, during which time he began working full-time at Galerie Maeght.
In the gallery, Lelong was appointed to manage tasks such as transportation, insurance and financial affairs. He also works for exhibitions for many artists who will become modernist idols: Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Alberto Giacometti, Antoni Tàpies, Francis Bacon and Eduardo Chillida.
In 1981, Maeght died and Lelong became the director of Galerie Maeght-Lelong along with Jean Frémon and Jacques Dupin. It became Galerie Lelong & Co. in 1987. They opened a location in New York in 1985. There is also a location in Zurich.
“He was an art dealer from different times, right?” Sabatino said. “He showed it in Basel’s first artwork [1970]. What I want to say is that many of the history that began in the mid-60th century, which many people lost, right? Because there are very few people living. ”
“He really loves life. He is a very positive person. He always looks at the bright side. He really likes artists. He likes people. It seems to be a smaller feature, but it actually permeates and every one he runs the gallery. He is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is really interested, he is always selling this little book. He is always selling on sale. He is always back to the 60s.
Throughout his career, Lelong continued to build strong relationships with artists such as Jaume Plensa, Jannis Kounellis and Sean Scully. “Pierre Alechinsky is in the gallery just like Daniel and his entire career,” Sabatino said.
Lelong also sold many works for major collectors such as Norman Braman, Joseph H. Hirshhorn and Jon Shirley. “Bram’s house in Florida, all of this Miros comes from his long-term friendship with Daniel,” Sabatino said. “He always says, ‘Joe Hirshhorn will come to the gallery and he will buy the whole show.” Many people in Hirshhorn [Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC] From Galerie Lelong or many of these artists. ”
“He is very important in building many collections.”
Lelong also wrote and published books, including a book about Calder and several volumes of Miró’s “Catalogue Raisonné”, co-authored by his daughter Ariane Lelong-Mainaud.
Outside the gallery, Lelong’s other interests include a love of music and singing. “He held a concert,” Sabatino said with a smile. “I remember my first Léo Ferré investigation album from him as a gift. [He] It’s his friend. ”
He also brought art to one of the most famous tennis matches in the world. In 1980, Lelong and former French tennis player Jean Lovera proposed the idea of bringing art to the French Open through a partnership with the French Tennis Federation and the Roland Garros committee. Every year, a contemporary artist is selected to design an official poster for the competition. Valerio Adami and Eduardo Arroyo are the top two artists selected. Miró designed the poster in 1991 and chose Tàpies in 2000.
Sabbatino said Lelong’s focus was only the main market for his artists. “Once I said to him, ‘You know, Daniel, you know, you’ve sold every great Miro and Calder around the world. Why don’t we try to sell them again?”’
He told Sabatino: “That’s another profession, that’s not mine.”
Lelong died in the hospital after falling ill in recent days. Sabatino said that while the retired gallerist has been at home for the past few years, he is still happy. “I talked to him on his birthday,” she said. “They were singing. He had champagne. He looked at the bright side of everything.”
