Last week, dealer Tim Blum told Artnews He is closing the store in search of a new art deal model. “Everyone is talking about going down,” Bloom said. “But nothing has changed.”
But Bloom isn’t the only one who left the gallery business.
On Wednesday, collector-turned trader Adam Lindemann said he will close Venus in Manhattan, a New York gallery founded 14 years ago. Looking ahead, he will stick to the buy-side aspect of the trader-collector relationship. The current exhibition at the gallery is a solo exhibition by painter Susumu Kamijo, which will be the last one, originally scheduled for July 18.
Lindemann Artnet Newsdetails the history of the author and gallery. His earlier books – 2006 on collections and served as a columnist for four years. New York Observer– Caught attention from his art world, but “I quit shortly after my writing became popular,” he wrote.
He gathered an appetite for trophy art, including record-breaking works by Jeff Koons and Jean-Michael Basquiat, which eventually led to him becoming an art dealer in 2012 and joining many of his friends’ suggestions.
“Opening a gallery as a collector can really succeed in alienating both parties,” Lindman wrote. “Disclaimers don’t trust you, and most collectors don’t get your job, so they don’t approve of the nose and, worse, they’re upset with your conversion.”
He launched the gallery against putting his name at the door, but instead called it Venus in Manhattan, a nod to the Wheeler Williams sculpture, at his home at 980 Madison Avenue. Soon, the gallery became a magnet that caused controversy and serious concern. The gallery is aimed at attracting new attention from artists such as Jack Goldstein and HC Westermann, as well as solos by blue-chip artists such as Peter Saul, Alexander Calder and Banana Maurizio Cattelan. A notable off-site exhibition takes the form of William Copley’s guerrilla installation at the Swiss chocolate shop.
Apart from the collector’s puzzle, Lindemann added that the insult of the political of artistic fairness was a factor in his decision. He said with a gossipy hint: “Do you want to know the truth about the Fair Commission? They cheered and asked you to step on your hands and knees, wag your tail, beg for forgiveness.”
Now, Lindemann bows. He author, “I’ve seen it from both sides, and it’s time to wave the white flag.” “There won’t be a hub for consulting and private deals. I’m going to go back to the air kiss, handshakes, fists bump, side hugs, head nods, winks, waves, waves, laughs, thumbs up, thumbs up and good atmosphere.”
