Roberta Smith, the former New York Times co-chief art critic, interviews Larry Gagosian, the world's most famous art dealer, for Numero magazine. The conversation covers Gagosian's hands-on management of his 18 galleries, his admission of mistakes in closing locations in San Francisco and Geneva, and his view of his galleries as tryout spaces akin to off-Broadway. Gagosian shares anecdotes about his first Picasso purchase at Sotheby's for $900,000 (now worth $40 million), his early shows featuring David Salle and Warhol's Oxidation paintings, and his regret over selling Eli Broad's Basquiat skull painting for $80,000. Smith recalls attending Gagosian's first New York show in the 1970s, and the two reflect on their long, distant acquaintance.
This interview matters because it brings together two towering figures of the art world—a legendary critic and a mega-dealer—in a rare, candid exchange that reveals Gagosian's business philosophy, his personal history, and the dynamics of the contemporary art market. The conversation offers unique insights into the workings of a global gallery empire, the relationships between dealers and critics, and the soaring valuations of blue-chip artworks, making it essential reading for anyone tracking the art market's evolution and the personalities who shape it.