Summary
- Heavyweight dealer Tim Blum has announced the closure of his eponymous Los Angeles and Tokyo art galleries following its current run of summer exhibitions.
- Blum cited burnout as a reason for his departure, and has plans for “a more flexible model” as opposed to the traditional gallery framework, with a focus on long-term visions, collaborations and slow-paced artist engagements.
After 30 years at the helm of one of Los Angeles’ most influential contemporary art spaces, veteran art dealer Tim Blum is embarking on a new chapter. Following its current run of summer exhibition. BLUM will shutter both its Los Angeles and Tokyo locations, with the fate of its planned New York space still undecided.
In a recent interview with ARTnews, Blum cited burnout as the reason for his departure. “This is not about the market. This is about the system,” he said, referencing the unrelenting pace of gallerist life, from art fairs and openings to the ever-expanding demands of global representation.
The decision comes two years after the end of his long-standing partnership with Jeff Poe. In 1994, the two opened the gallery, formerly known as Blum & Poe, in Santa Monica, which played a pivotal role in elevating the careers of Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, as well as the Los Angeles’ scene to a global art force.The gallery eventually expanded into Tokyo in 2014, and in 2023, it rebranded as BLUM following Poe’s departure.
Now, Blum is pivoting toward what he calls “a more flexible model” — one that moves away from “a permanent physical space or formal artist roster.” Instead, he plans to focus on collaborations, long-term projects and alternative frameworks for deeper, more “meaningful” artist engagement.
While he pointed to the 2008 market crash as an early turning point, Blum emphasizes that the decision has been years in the making. “Of course, I’ll still be buying and selling art,” he noted, though not in advising or consulting role. “It’s part of my DNA.”
“Everyone talks about stepping off the merry-go-round — but nobody ever does. I’ve decided I need to.”
BLUM is currently presenting solo exhibitions by Sarah Rosalena, Tomoo Gokita, Adam Silverman and Wilhelm Sasnal in Los Angeles, which will close on August 16. Surface and Signal, the group exhibition currently on view at its Tokyo outpost, will be on view through August 2.
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