The Headlines
POE SPEAKS. Artnet News recently interviewed ex-staffers and artists from Tim Blum’s now-closed gallery, who said they were blindsided by the dealer’s public announcement that he was shutting up shop. That same publication has now spoken to Blum’s former business partner, Jeff Poe, who cofounded Blum & Poe gallery in 1994. He opted out in 2023 to pursue a “simpler and more fluid path,” and to focus on “quieter aspects of the gallery,” he said at the time. Poe doesn’t mention Blum during his chat with Artnet —read that how you will—but he does give his two cents on the challenges of running a gallery. “At times it was too much exposure, too much travel, too much financial risk. A little over 20 years in, I learned success is actually that moment when there’s peace and quiet. It’s an achieved calm,” he said, adding that in 29 years of business, he “slept through the night” and “woke up feeling rested” about three times.
MORE GALLERY GLOOM. Dovetailing nicely with the above, Hypebeast has published a story called “The Slow Death of the Contemporary Art Gallery.” “The contemporary art gallery as we know it is dying. In cities like New York and Los Angeles, dedicated spaces that once buzzed with foot traffic and formal openings are now struggling with rising rents and changing expectations,” it reads. “The old model, where a gallery does everything for its artists, feels like it’s falling apart.” Collectors are reportedly increasingly focusing on “red-chip” artists—a rising group whose appeal is driven more by viral buzz and cultural relevance than by traditional institutional backing. These artists are gaining traction for two key reasons: their work tends to be more accessible and affordable, and it offers fresh, diverse cultural viewpoints that resonate with a global audience. But, Hypebeastnotes, “Art isn’t disappearing. It’s just moving, becoming more accessible and less tied to one physical location.” How much the model changes will dictate how successful galleries remain, Hypebeast proposes.
The Digest
A Guardian reporter who was almost murdered finds comfort in the Renaissance influences in Jenny Saville’s work, currently on show at the National Portrait Gallery. [Guardian]
Four years on from the Taliban takeover, subjugated Afghan women are starting to assert themselves through art. [The Art Newspaper]
In a soon-to-be aired episode of Fake Or Fortune? on the BBC, an art collector causes a stir when he turns down £300,000 for a “lost masterpiece painting” by Canadian Impressionist Helen McNicoll. [Daily Mail]
As the UK gears up to receive the 950-year-old Bayeux Tapestry, here’s everything you need to know about the 230-foot-long embroidery. [Artnet]
The Kicker
ART APPRECIATION FOR BEGINNERS. As Apollo Magazine writes, the 1970 Venice Biennale introduced the Biennale Bambini, a groundbreaking initiative by the Munich-based collective KEKS that involved children in interactive art experiences. Such an initiative might be brought to mind while viewing the show “For Children: Art Stories since 1968” at the Haus der Kunst in Munich, which explores play in art over the past 60 years. At the show, visitors, both young and old, are invited to engage physically and emotionally with the works. Picking up where KEKS left off, there are works such as Rivane Neuenschwander’s embroidered capes, based on children’s fears, which merge vulnerability with empowerment. The exhibition suggests that childhood itself is a profound form of artistic inquiry, and that adults can still tap into it.
