White Columns, New York’s oldest alternative nonprofit art space, has launched a unique fundraising exhibition titled “Art (by) Dealers.” The show features works created by over 90 art dealers and gallery professionals rather than the artists they represent. Organized by Kathy Huang and Will Leung, the exhibition presents uniform 12-by-9-inch works priced at $500 each, sold anonymously to benefit the nonprofit's programming.
This initiative matters because it subverts the traditional power dynamics of art world philanthropy, where artists are frequently pressured to donate work for charity. By asking commercial power players like Stefania Bortolami, Gavin Brown, and Anton Kern to step into the role of creator, the project highlights the often-fluid boundaries between dealing and making, while providing a sustainable fundraising model that doesn't deplete the inventory of working artists.