Embracing
Artistic Risks
Mike Davis, who runs the West Hollywood art gallery of Hauser & Wirth, says UCI connections are critical to his success By Greg Hardesty
Mike Davis considers himself a risk taker.
conversation with his father, Michael Robert Davis Sr.
“And I owe that to my father,” says Davis, a studio art major (B.A. ’08) and now a senior director at the internationally recognized art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
“What do you love?” Davis’ father asked him.
On Valentine’s Day 2023, Davis, 39, opened Hauser & Wirth’s West Hollywood gallery, cementing him as a key player at one of the top names in the global contemporary and modern art gallery world.
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Back when Davis was entering UC Irvine and mulling what to major in, the Mission Viejo native recalls a
“Art.” “Then you should do it. Trust yourself.” Recalls Davis Jr.: “My father inspired me to not take the normal path and to follow my heart.” Image: Mike Davis stands with a painting by Pat Steir from her current exhibition, "Painted Rain," which closes May 4, 2024, at Hauser & Wirth in West Hollywood. Photo: Courtesy of Mike Davis