A high art _ interview
Voice of the heart By Shirine Saad
most powerful and influential personalities of the art world. He has just inaugurated a new five-story, ecologically sound building in New York’s Chelsea and a gallery nestled in an 18th-century townhouse in London’s Mayfair. He was recently listed second in Forbes’ “America’s most powerful dealers,” with $225 million in revenue, after Larry Gagosian’s $925 million.
Gallerist David Zwirner has built an empire by choosing art he loves A 196
“I cannot show or sell art that I do not like and respect,” says 48-year-old gallerist David Zwirner. “I am sure nobody will believe this, but it is actually true. Our gallery’s core values are aligned to be artist-centric, and we help give artists the support they need on any aspects of their activities, whether it’s exhibitions, catalogues or archives.” Zwirner, the son of a German art dealer who began building his collection while working at a record label in Hamburg, and now represents 43 artists, including Yan Pei Ming and Yayoi Kusama, is one of the
Zwirner was exposed to contemporary art from a young age, in his family’s art-filled Cologne home. He discovered Andy Warhol’s Brillo boxes, Cy Twombly’s Bolsena painting and the works of such artists as Gerhard Richter, Martin Kippenberger and Sigmar Polke, among others. As a young man, he decided to become a musician and attended New York University’s music program, but he soon realized that music wasn’t his calling and moved toward the art market, collecting new works and working with gallerist Brooke Alexander. In 1993, then in his late 20s, he set up his own gallery space in Soho. His first group of artists included Tuymans, Rhoades, Stan Douglas and Franz West, a risky and diverse roster that established Zwirner as a visionary. That year, his Rhoades show sold out. Zwirner then expanded to the adjacent space and began adding more artists to his list.
©Dick Eusterbrock, David Zwirner
“For me it is important that an artist has a unique voice,” says Zwirner, who is credited with launching the international careers of several artists, including Luc Tuymans and Jason Rhoades. “I am open to all medias, and I do not believe there is a right or wrong way to make art. It can be figurative, abstract, small, large, plain, colorful, minimal or maximal, but it does need to be authentic. I am keenly aware of the history of art and its trajectory forward, and I am interested in work that adds to that vocabulary. It is extremely exciting to be associated with something that feels new.”