Stephen Cohen talks about why
Stephen Cohen has been running his gallery for twenty-five years. He is also the founder of photo l.a., Los Angeles’s longest running photo fair. When he announced he was closing the gallery there was much curiosity about why. Here in an exclusive interview Stephen talks about his gallery, the state of the gallery business and the state of the large photo fairs.
Andy Romanoff – The Stephen Cohen Gallery has been around for many years. Now you’ve made the decision to close the store and trade privately. What made you decide it was time to do it?
Stephen Cohen – I’m not closing completely. I will be open with reduced days and hours and by appointment. I may go totally private later on. I’ve been selling photographs and books since 1977. For over twenty years I crisscrossed the country by car, visiting museums, corporate curators and collectors. Since 1992 I’ve organized fifty-three art fairs (photo l.a., photo san francisco, photo santa fe, photo NY, the very successful Aipad Photography Show in Miami in 2007, photo MIAMI and the first Vernacular photography fair in NYC). I was also partnered with Paul Amador in a NYC gallery, Cohen Amador, in the Fuller Building from 2005 – 2009. I guess I’m a little tired. Even putting on only six exhibits a year is a great expense of time, energy and money.
AR – How will you keep visible without openings and a physical presence? How will people find you.
SC – I won’t disappear. I will have regular newsletters and a new website that will be a sales platform for prints and books from my extensive book collection. There will always be art on the walls and I will have small pop-up exhibits of work that interests me.
AR – Do you think the LA market conditions have changed or do you see the world changing for everyone?
SC – I think the gallery market has changed all over. Maybe exhibiting art and selling art have gone their separate way. Los Angeles doesn’t get the foot traffic a city like New York gets. Also, some of the market has moved to the many art fairs that have popped up all over the world. Europe especially has a great number of regional art fairs. Obviously the Internet, and social media, have presented many new platforms for sales.
AR – Beyond the business decision, how do you feel about leaving the gallery behind?
SC – A little sad but I’m energized by the idea of doing more with inventory and placing my gallery artists in museum and corporate collections. As for my talk of being tired, I’m just building a cocoon that I will emerge from soon. It will be a lot of work. As far as photo l.a., having just celebrated its 25th Anniversary, it will continue with my fair Director/producer partner, Claudia James Bartlett at the helm.
AR – Turning to the world of art fairs what do you think is important now?
SC – We need the entire photographic community coming together to promote expositions like photo l.a. Artists, students, galleries, curators, collectors and those who write about photography all need to be supportive of every effort to promote the making and exhibition of photo-based art. Even if you cannot afford to purchase photographs, you can visit the galleries that expend thoughtful energy, time and expense to present work to the public. Having had a public space for 25 years, I can tell you that visitors to the gallery are very much appreciated. Most gallery staff welcomes the chance to engage with visitors. The internet is a great research tool to learn about the rich photographic history that’s come before the latest flavor of the month. A great part of educating your visual palate is to see as much art as you can. So support your local gallerist. Visit a gallery today.
AR – The cancellation of Paris Photo Los Angeles is fresh on everyone’s mind. Any thoughts about what happened?
SC – I think timing was a factor. PPLA came about two weeks after the Aipad show in NYC and NYC is where all the money is. Curators have limited travel funds so they need the most bang for their buck. Additionally, Frieze NY takes place a week or two later and now Photo London comes two weeks after PPLA. There were too many fairs clustered too closely together and gallerists have to choose their markets.
April in Paris, November in Paris, almost any time in London and New York – all these are bigger draws than LA at the moment. But wait and see. DTLA is a thing now with the new Broad Museum, The Hauser Wirth & Schimmel Kunstler complex of buildings and the movement of galleries east towards downtown from the Culver and Bergamot areas. When you add in renewed support and promotion by the LA Tourist Board, the LA Arts Commission, photo l.a., the LA Art Show, ALAC and possibly even the Month of Photography LA (MOPLA) all happening in January, the Los Angeles art fair scene is set to become a thing as well. Never give up. Never surrender. “L.A.’s the Place”
