The Los Angeles Times remembers Robert Shapazian, the founding director of Gagosian’s LA outpost:
When leading contemporary art dealer Larry Gagosian hired him in 1995 to oversee the launch of a West Coast outpost, he praised Shapazian’s knowledge of photography, 1990s art, and artists Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp, The Times reported at the time.
Under Shapazian’s direction, Gagosian shows were “always provocative,” adding “a ‘big time’ dimension to the local scene,” online magazine Artnet said in 2004. The magazine gave as an example the gallery’s survey of black-and-white Warhol paintings derived from advertising.
Shapazian ran the blue-chip venue for a decade, advising collectors to do as he did: Don’t invest for monetary gain but follow “ideas and feeling,” he said in a 2008 interview.
Business tycoon Eli Broad was one of Shapazian’s primary clients, Dean said.
Robert Shapazian Dies at 67 (Los Angeles Times)
