Lindsay Jarvis bets on Bowery

On a sunny afternoon, Lindsay Jarvis installed works for the opening exhibition in his new 2,000-square-foot gallery (a new 2,000-square-foot gallery on the second floor of Bowery. The London-born dealer, considered British when needed, was considered and courteous and needed a sharp tongue. Jarvis spent Sadie Coles and Greengrassi in the UK, talking through shippers (most of them leaned against the walls), full of passion and forensic calm.

Over the past decade in New York, Jarvis has cultivated the reputation of an auction, a trusted art consultant whose trick is to find neglected values ​​in twentieth-century names such as Lois Dodd, Richard Mayhew and Joan Snyder. Now, after working with collectors for many years, he decided to support his taste through the gallery program.

The timing may look counter-trend: The art market, depending on the title you read, is free fall or “recalibration”. Jarvis saw something else. He noted that record auction results and sold-out major shows by certain twentieth-century artists serve as evidence that connoisseurs are back again, despite the pandemic-era speculation has faded.

Pragmatism extends to numbers. Jarvis is outspoken about real estate, not art itself. With that in mind, he tracked the right space in the lower Manhattan. For Jarvis, the rental itself is an opportunity: long-term, affordable real estate is as rare as the undervalued Mayhew canvas. But it is not impossible to find.

Artnews Sit down with Jarvis to discuss the gallery’s premiere exhibition “Ghost”, which will open Wednesday and last until October 4. Sobel.

For clarity and simplicity, this interview has been easily edited.

Artnews: Why do you want to open a gallery now? At that time, so many conversations were about shrinking?

Lindsay Jarvis: People like to say that the market is in trouble, but it is more complicated than that. Yes, some collectors are less active, but others are thriving. The main shows are still selling out, with some 20th-century artists posting strong results at auctions. Collectors nearby know that the market is cyclical. To me, it felt like the right time because the air was cleared. If you want a career that lasts decades in the art market, it’s actually a healthier climate than our pandemic era, which is very speculative and unsustainable.

What do you want this gallery to represent and set you apart?

Long-term value. I’m not interested in chasing trends. The program aims to show contemporary artists the characters of underrated 20th-century figures (such as Lois Dodd, Richard Mayhew, Joan Snyder, Janet Sobel) and others, where the cultural significance is there, and the market just catches up. It’s about appreciation and quality, not a quick flip.

Tell me about “Ghost”. Why do you want scenery and why now?

The scenery felt urgent again. During the Industrial Revolution, this anxiety took us out of the natural world and I think we are back to a similar moment now. Telephone, AI, the speed of life – all of which make people yearn for something slower. Many works ghost With this neo-romantic sensitivity, where landscapes become increasingly involved in landscapes, and more involved in a phase of a problem: organic and synthesis, attenuation and renewal, and even geopolitical boundaries. This is a genre that can accommodate many of our current anxiety.

You have spent years advising collectors and bidding at auction. How does this background shape the program?

At the auction, what you see lasting. I have always tended toward artists who do the review under this kind of review – Dud, Mayhew, Snyder, Sobel. Janet Sobel is a good example. She was there at the beginning of gesture abstraction, and until now, her market has caught up with her importance. This historical correction I am interested in.

The pandemic is driving rapidly, graphics, Instagram ready to draw. Where do you think we are now?

I think we’ve returned to the connoisseurs. People want to endure the art of rewarding time. One of my best clients said to me, “Time is the best friend of the great art” and I think that’s right. You don’t need something that looks good in the season; you want FO quality work that remains important for twenty years.

You once told me that real estate is often what attracts galleries. How do you view that side of things?

That’s practical. If your bread and butter sells $15,000 in paintings, you can’t pay $50,000 in rent per month. That’s just mathematics. The space here is a small part of what the recently closed gallery pays for. Now, if you are cautious about the deal you have reached, there is a chance now. For me, rent is part of the plan: stay wise and stay sustainable.

What happens after “Ghost”?

The next show will be the first New York solo by Daniel Licht, a young painter I’ve been following. He has a piece in “The Ghost” where the solo will have conversations in a larger way.

I have to admit that I like Nieghborhood and even call it home. But tell me why it is opened in Bory?

Because I feel alive. There is history, messy space, and serious space. We are just across from Bridget Donahue, and there are many galleries walking distance. This is the right place to file a claim.

The media likes to cover up closure and crisis. What do you think they are missing?

Positive. Especially the demand for some twentieth-century artists and Japanese artists was huge, and almost no one reported this. Or let Blum close…it hardly admits they did it from their position of strength. If you only read the headlines, you think the entire market is crashing. That’s not true.